No Djinn May Roam
by CreationsGoneAwry
Summary: Almost two years after the Warriors' children return from their adventure, they discover another threat, the Mourning Moon, and according to studies, its third appearance is the most deadly. Of course, that means it's up to the Adepts to put a stop to it and figure out what secrets are hidden with it. Canon DD at its roots but excludes some characters and events from the game.
1. Disaster

_BEFORE YOU READ: __This story contains major spoilers for Dark Dawn. If you haven't completed the game or don't want to be spoiled, I suggest you click the nice little "Back" button in the top left corner of your browser window. Thanks for reading!_

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><p><strong>AN:** This story has gone through so many edits it's ridiculous. I've been thinking about trashing it (but still keeping it on my profile, as per jollygreendragon's near threat...) but then realized the reviews keep me going. I'd hate to start it up new but not have my wonderful reviewers there anymore. I guess it's more of an ego thing, plus readers tend to flock to stories with lots of feedback already...

First chapters have always been something I struggled with. Either it's remotely decent or it's just crap, and most of the time it tends to be crap. But it starts to pick up even in the next chapter, so please don't stop reading because you're bored! It gets better :) The beginning part with Kraden here has been changed around so many times, but this installment is actually readable, so I'm happy.

Anyway, the first AN I did here was about me raging how the title sucks (it still does, but I digress), the second was about the first edit I did, and all the other ANs after that were about the next edits... Ugh. I'm really, _really _hoping this edit will be the last one ever in this story, because I'm starting it back up. I'm thinking I'll leave the first four chapters as they are, minus the tweaks I'm doing right now, and then gradually lengthen them because eventually this really is a plot-driven story.

I doubt there's anyone left from way back when this fic was actually regularly updating (besides jolly because I bribe him), but if you're out there, thank you so much for putting up with my nonsense! From my spazztastic ANs to my nauseating writing, thanks for reading and sending all the feedback :) Absolutely no words can appreciate the happiness that seeps into my soul when I read a review. Every single one of them, even the not-so-nice ones because those help me grow too.

And now, to new readers who I reeeally hope don't just skip over this and/or ignore the entire story... enjoy! I hope you stick with me, I promise I'll deliver as good a story as I can! (This is supposed to be the one story I write that has an actual plot.) Hopefully I can be significantly less spastic than my previous attempts with this baby.

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><p><strong>No Djinn May Roam<strong>

Kraden walked absentmindedly around the one-room cottage, alternating between talking to his carrier pigeon and organizing his bookshelves. He alphabetized some of the books and then sorted by category - medicinal and toxic herbs, elements, and Psynergy in general - to make sure he could find the right ones tomorrow during his reading time.

It was crazy how much one began forgetting at an old age.

The white-bearded man, his petty tasks accomplished, made his way to the kitchen to prepare the usual afternoon tea.

"How strong would you like it today, Tyrell?" he asked the pigeon a few feet to his right. Strangely he found amusement in its name, every time he said it reminding him of the young Mars Adept's antics.

Tyrell the pigeon just chirped happily inside its cage, oblivious to how mean Kraden truly was to its namesake.

He smiled. "You believe weaker is better today?" Not waiting for or expecting a response, he took out a small stash of tea leaves. "You're right - I wasn't in the mood for a strong taste anyway."

The bird stayed quiet, watching him prepare his daily tea. It didn't exactly provide the best company but it worked in a pinch when he had to deliver messages. Tyrell was among the faster pigeons he'd had over the years despite its shortcomings: it seemed to get into fights with and anger other birds rather easily. Every time it returned from a delivery Kraden would find another injury to patch up. Sometimes the pigeon resembled a mummy with all its bandages.

As he stared out the window he thought he was something out of the ordinary, but before he could take a better look the water began to boil, causing the teapot to whistle.

Kraden poured it into his mug and added the leaves, sipping once it was stirred. He embraced the warmth and taste but his curiosity inevitably got the better of him; there was _something _outside, and truthfully, it left an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll be right back," he said to Tyrell, setting down the mug. He had to see what was out there - what if it was something dangerous? Though he only caught a glimpse of the colors, purple and black were telltale signs of a Vortex...

He stepped outside and shut the door behind him, but as he started walking he berated himself for leaving his notebooks inside. Should there be anything of importance, he wouldn't be able to record it right away.

Now that he thought about it, though, having a Vortex appear outside would easily explain his new-found drowsiness and headaches, along with his slowly receding memory. Vortexes were known for both appearing and disappearing overnight, anyway.

But he was getting ahead of himself. He couldn't be sure if it was one until he clearly saw it, so he kept walking over to where his kitchen window looked out, just a tad above the peak of the hill. The Angaran Sea was just tens of yards away from his cottage so it didn't make sense for a Vortex to spawn over water -

He gasped. There it was, though.

If personal experience viewing the phenomena didn't cut it, he remembered one year ago Isaac sent a letter explaining the Vortex that showed up by his cabin. The Venus Adept promised to keep Kraden updated, and no later than the next month had the scholar received another message telling him it had mysteriously vanished one night. Kraden was relieved, of course, but he knew sooner or later he would have to discuss the possibilities with Isaac and Ivan.

The gigantic purple and black orb pulsated above the water, swirling around the energy it had absorbed already. It was quite far away but he could feel its power already, making him wonder how he missed it and if that meant it had the ability to move.

It looked positively menacing, just the way it did three years ago when he saw his first one up close. He had to do something.

On his short way back to his house he could already feel himself getting winded. If this was its power when it was still this far away... just how powerful would it be if and when it moved closer?

He made a mental note to check on it later tonight - it loomed over the small group of islands ahead at the moment - and continued towards the door; however, in his haste he clumsily stumbled over a pile of firewood and he fell to the ground, shouting in pain. He couldn't be sure but he thought he sprained, if not broke, one of his legs; he wasn't certain which one hurt more.

Kraden lay in pain for a few minutes, dreading standing up but knowing he had to sometime. Now forcing himself to believe that nothing was broken after all, he slowly got up, flinching but trying hard. There were herbs in a jar that would help, but he had to get inside first.

The worn out scholar managed to get himself back inside the one-room cottage where he quickly took a seat and elevated his right leg. The earlier convincing was just so that he had motivation to pick himself up, but now he knew there was something wrong.

Before anything else could happen he grabbed the nearest pen and paper combination and began his letter to Isaac.

He let out a puff of air after he completed it, trudging over to his pigeon's cage. He opened it and tied the paper around the bird's leg where, thankfully this time, there weren't any injuries.

"Take this to Isaac, friend," he told Tyrell.

The carrier pigeon squawked an incoherent reply and flapped its wings, escaping through an open window.

After he watched the bird leave he reunited with his tea in the kitchen, sipping it slowly, still babying his leg. He would have to find all the healing plants he had stashed somewhere around here, but for right now he was just thankful that his pigeon was far more intelligent than who it was named after.

…

"Matthew, hurry up!" a green-haired girl called from inside a cabin. She guessed she didn't have to yell quite so loudly, though, considering they were on a plateau overlooking an abyss. But then again, her friend was known to ignore her, or at least have selective hearing, quite often. After a few moments of waiting she gave up and exited the house, shutting the door behind her, glancing around in search of her blond friend. Did he run away like last time?

A twig snapped behind her and the girl turned around, startled until she realized who it was. "Oh, so you _are _ready." But then she saw what he was wearing, staring him down from top to bottom to try and understand.

"Those are your regular clothes," she stated.

The blond shrugged. "You told me to dress comfortably."

"Yes, comfortably! As in shorts and other breathable material!" She pulled on her own shorts to emphasize her point but gave up halfway through, knowing she should have expected this.

Matthew sighed, looking away and rubbing his left arm. "Look, can we just get this over with?"

"Sure," she replied. "You grabbed the bows, right?" She didn't know why she even asked; as she looked at him it didn't seem he was hiding two humongous curved pieces of wood anywhere.

"Um..."

She socked him playfully on the arm. "What were you even doing while I was changing?!"

"Waiting," he told her smartly. A smug grin played upon his lips.

"Yeah, yeah. I liked you better when you were quiet." She waved it off with her hand and headed back to the cabin door, along the way wondering why after their journey Matthew had suddenly become more vocal. That wasn't to say he was a chatterbox, but at least around her, it seemed he let his guard down and showed his mother's side more often.

She assumed that was just because he had gotten used to her company throughout the adventure, considering with anyone else he was still a guy of few words, even Tyrell.

After Karis disappeared behind the door Matthew exhaled and seated himself on the ground, his boredom getting the better of him. He cast Growth a few times and picked at the newly formed grass. Soon enough, however, he grew tired of it so he laid his head back, placing his arms underneath his head, lying on his back.

He was glad that she didn't get too mad at him for staying in his everyday clothes, but truthfully he was hoping to get more of a rise out of her; there was nothing to do around here, anyway, so what little entertainment she provided just made the day worth not sleeping through.

The Venus Adept didn't really want to learn how to shoot a bow but Karis insisted ever since they returned from their quest. "Just in case," she always told him. So after about a year and a half of her pestering he finally gave in (he had once before but lied, and he and Tyrell hid from her the entire day). He wondered to himself if he would "accidentally" fire a shot at her, but he shook his head - she was his best friend and he shouldn't have been thinking that way. That didn't stop him from letting loose an unwarranted chuckle at himself, though.

The cabin door's slam sent realization through his body and he sat up, glancing in its direction. Karis stepped out, the two green and brown bows in her hand. She smiled at him and Matthew knew, even though it was a sincere smile, that he was in for a long day.

…

The two Adepts found the perfect spot to practice, just inside Tanglewood. The bushes weren't too overgrown, partly because Matthew got a little Fireball-happy during their first quest, and the trees were perfect targets; he acted just like Tyrell at Patcher's Place. And if nothing else, maybe they could run into a few monsters and shoot some arrows through them. It would count as practice with the bow _and _combat, right?

Matthew grabbed the bow with both hands and lifted it up so it was right in front of him. He moved his left hand back, dragging the bow with it, and reached for an arrow in the quiver on his back.

"No, Matthew, not like that!" Karis scolded, running over to Matthew and startling him, setting her own bow down in the process. She took hold of his bow and situated it _correctly _into his hands, then leaned down a little bit to look at the angle he was pointing it in. Satisfied, she smiled and walked away, leaving her pupil to try it without her help now.

He managed to pull the arrow back swiftly without moving the bow itself too much, and when he released, the arrow shot through the air past the vines and hedges and missed the target tree by a foot. He groaned, lowering the bow and smacking his head.

Karis laughed. "Relax. It's your first try."

After saying that, she couldn't help thinking back to when she was learning how to use a bow. Her father, Ivan, was teaching her, and she was having the same problems Matthew was - not holding the bow correctly, pulling the arrow back too far, releasing too abruptly. But she still managed to hit the tree on her first try, she reminded herself_. _She smiled, believing it to just be a natural-born talent, and walked over to steady Matthew's bow once more.

Once it was in the correct position and Matthew was ready to fire, Karis told him to wait and hurried over to her own bow, picking it up and quickly adjusting to the correct position. She brought it up to her shoulder, pulled back the arrow ever-so-slightly, and glanced towards him.

"Just like this," she said, finally releasing the arrow and following its movement with her eye as it glided through the air, arcing just a bit, and hit the target tree in the dead center. She smiled and lowered her bow, glancing towards her friend once more and hoping he would do better this time.

He stood still, in his now awkward position, a determined look in his eyes. His serious stature was broken, however, when he had to scratch an itch, causing him to have to lower the bow. The Jupiter Adept laughed again, once again walking over and steadying his bow for him, being sure to position it correctly.

She only stepped back a few feet to the right, watching him as he pulled back the arrow - slower this time, she noted - and released it in a swift movement. _Still too fast. _They both watched the arrow slide past the same vines and hedges, arcing slightly less than Karis's shot, until it collided with the tree. Matthew brought his bow down, almost grinning, until the arrow fell to the ground, seemingly not being stuck in the bark at all. He huffed.

Karis stifled a snicker.

She made her way back to the left to where she could pick up his bow. "One more time," she coaxed, "and I'll help you perfect it."

He glanced at her and nodded. Karis grabbed the bow and brought it up to his shoulder again, guiding his hand through the bowstring and taking the arrow with it. She allowed their hands to rest at the back of the bow for just one second, hinting that Matthew needed to be more patient with things like this.

Even if he didn't have the right concentration and motivation right now, she was sure that within time he could pick it up with no trouble. That was why she was trying to help him learn it, after all; he seemed to have no trouble mastering Psynergy, light blades, longswords, and even axes. The bow was arguably the lightest of all the physical weapons, making it one of the more easier to wield. She was honestly surprised that he didn't know how to use one, even going so far as to question her how she kept hold of it so well at the start of their quest.

"Ready?" she whispered. Her hot breath tickled his ears and he had to resist the urge to flinch away from her.

Matthew took in a sharp breath. "Yeah."

And they let go of the arrow at almost exactly the same time, both pairs of eyes watching it sail through the air past the same obstacles yet again until it sank into the middle of the tree. Matthew watched it for a few seconds to make sure it didn't fall like the last one did, and when it didn't, he grinned.

"Thanks, Karis," he said, bringing the bow down. Suddenly his grin fell, shock replacing it, when he realized her hand was still clasped over his. "Uh.."

She retracted it quickly. "Sorry!"

Awkward moments passed before the Jupiter Adept cleared her throat.

"So, um…I think that's enough practicing for today." She laughed nervously, hands behind her back as she swung the bow around.

He silently agreed with a nod.

"And the sun is starting to set, so let's head back before all the monsters come out."

"All right," he replied, though he really was looking forward to learning to use monsters as target practice. He made his way over to the target tree to retrieve the bent arrows, but Karis stopped him with a call of his name.

"Don't worry about those; we have plenty more at home."

…

As they made their way across the bridge to the cabin, Karis stopped behind Matthew to stare at the setting sun. It was truly beautiful, she realized, her eyes reflecting the warmth and intensity. It made her think of the previous journey - it was funny, actually, that already so much time had passed. But as beautiful as the sun was, it didn't stop her mind from wandering to the dark days of the Grave Eclipse. If they hadn't stopped it, that sun wouldn't be shining right now, and instead it would be a never-ending sight of the gray Lady Luna.

Her stomach growled, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she shook her head, turning away from the sunset.

When she started across the bridge again, she almost ran into Matthew's back and gasped a little in surprise, clasping her hands over her mouth in hopes that he didn't hear her.

Matthew didn't seem to - or if he did he simply didn't acknowledge it - and turned around to meet her gaze with an intense one of his own. "Is something wrong?"

"Ah..." She laughed nervously. "No."

She was a horrible liar, and they both knew it, but what she didn't know was why she was suddenly so nervous.

Any train of thought was interrupted, though, as the two heard someone shout for them on the other side of the bridge.

She peeked around Matthew curiously and widened her eyes as she saw Isaac standing in front of the cabin door, a letter in his right hand, knapsack in his left. He didn't look all too thrilled. It was very rare to see Isaac here anymore. He was always taking week-long trips to Mt. Aleph - something about investigating the Psynergy Vortexes, he would say.

It wasn't as if Karis wasn't interested in the Vortexes (quite the opposite, in fact), but it was just that now that their own adventure was over she really just wanted to take advantage of it and relax. She knew it was a pretty apathetic way of thinking, but she figured she deserved it after helping to save Weyard.

Plus, Isaac was just a workaholic. She and Matthew had accompanied him two or three times but he just had them do countless chores and petty tasks, taking the fun ones like going inside the broken ruins of the Sanctum for himself. The two younger Adepts were stuck with recording the details of the volcano's outside and keeping watch to make sure no monsters or other unwanted visitors came.

Once they neared the entrance to the cabin Isaac looked at them with a grim face, and that was when both of them knew something was up.

"It's from Kraden," the older Adept said simply.

"What is it about?" Karis asked for both her and Matthew. She made her way over to Isaac and didn't really wait for an answer, taking the letter from his hands.

Isaac kept his solemn expression. "I wish it was just a friendly greeting. Tyrell's in the cabin, so we have to make sure we send him back with our response as soon as possible."

Karis raised an eyebrow but quickly remembered who that was. "Oh, Kraden's carrier pigeon." She heard Matthew stifle a laugh and probably would have joined him if the atmosphere hadn't been so tense at the moment. She skimmed over the letter's contents briefly before deciding to read it aloud so her friend could hear it, too.

_"Isaac,_

_I regret there may be danger once more. Thirty years ago the first Psynergy Vortex appeared atop Mt. Aleph. Now all these years later, what I assume to be the latest one has appeared just hundreds of yards from my cottage._

_The Mourning Moon has come for the third time. It is time to put our research and knowledge to good use. Perhaps this time we may be able to actually stop it._

_If you understand, contact Ivan, as you and he will be able to figure something out. Unfortunately I am unwell and cannot travel by myself at this time, but when you receive this letter I will surely be much better already._

_I only request that you come visit me, as many of you who are able to. There are several things I wish to discuss that I cannot disclose in a letter. Along with that, you will be able to see the Vortex yourself - however, please be aware that this Vortex is rather large, so its absorption powers are far stronger than the ones the children have dealt with before._

_Please, Isaac, do make haste, but be careful in your travels and pack lightly, for there is no telling when one may lose everything. I look forward to seeing you by the week's end._

_Kraden"_

The Jupiter Adept perked up at the mention of her father's name. Even though she was the one reading the letter she didn't fully believe it. "Are we going to Kalay to see Dad?" she asked just a little too excitedly.

Isaac laughed but rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yes. But this means we will have to leave by morning if we want to meet Kraden by the end of the week. It doesn't sound like he's in too good of shape, either, so we really have to hurry."

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><p><em>I didn't know how to end the chapter so wheeee~<em>

_~CGA_


	2. Reunion

**A/N: **This chapter had nearly 7k words before I laid my hands on it for the last time. After just deleting the crappy ANs at the bottom (because for whatever reason I felt like I had to keep my old 16-year-old self's ramblings, lol) it was brought down to 6.1k. Smooooth, CGA, taking up 1/7 of the entire chapter with your crap. I added some stuff to this (including this AN now) but deleted much more, so now the word count is a whopping 6300. Awesome. Even though new chapters will be this length or longer, they won't all be this boring, I promise.

Major changes and general notes in this chapter, for anyone who cares:

- Karis is not a whiny brat anymore

- Matthew does not act like a shounen hero - instead he is actually kind of blunt (at least around Karis and to a lesser extent Tyrell), if not a little mysterious. He'll be explained further and fleshed out, don't worry!

- I POV hop a lot .-. I change from liking Karis to Matthew to Isaac and more. Eventually I'll focus on only Karis because she is the main character but I wanted to get inside the others' heads, too... As antiviper pointed out in one of his reviews, delving into their minds will make them more human-like and not just like they're cut outs of people who can suddenly talk. But at the same time, omniscient narrators have to be careful to not overdo everything to take out the mystery.

- On a good note(!), I didn't really change anything in the Kalay scene. It was okay if I left it as is, so I just took out some awkward phrasing and stuff that didn't belong, replaced it with what did.

- Overall, the main plot revolving around this chapter has been changed. Before, it was about Karis unwilling to leave for another journey and somehow dealing with it with Ivan's help, but now it's (a little) about the Moon and its power, mainly revolving around Kraden and how his explanation will be multitudes better.

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><p>"Hey, Matthew," Karis began. She stopped trying to fold the shirt she'd been dealing with for over five minutes, instead just crinkling it up and shoving it in her backpack. She laughed nervously when she realized Matthew had been watching her, but he just raised an eyebrow, generally uninterested.<p>

"Um... well, Kraden's letter said that he wasn't feeling the best, right?"

The Venus Adept nodded, unsure of where she was going with this - and frankly he was a little preoccupied with folding his own clothes and other belongings. He kept his ears open, though. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know," she admitted with a shrug. "It takes a lot for Kraden to admit that he isn't doing well, so I'm a little worried." She turned her gaze to her friend, watching for his reaction. "It seemed your father was, too."

Matthew didn't flinch like she thought he would but his expression notably soured. "You think I'm not worried?"

Karis sighed. "Really... We've known each other since we were babies and even growing up you and Isaac haven't ever been that close. What's wrong?" She fumbled with the zipper on her luggage while waiting for his reply. Matthew was fine and dandy, acting without a care in the world, as long as his father wasn't there, but as soon as Isaac was in the picture he seemed to tense up and revert back to his old, quiet self.

"Don't act so old just because you're a month older," he told her playfully, desperately trying to change the subject.

She fell for it. "Hey! That has nothing to do with anything. Besides, we were talking about Kraden!" She wasn't stupid, though. If he didn't want to talk about it, that was fine; she would wait for him until he did. She didn't really expect him to tell her now, anyway, considering any other time she'd asked he'd done the same thing: changed the topic.

"I'm sure he's fine," Matthew reassured her. "That's part of why we're going to see him anyway, to see if he needs any healing."

Karis smiled. "You're right."

The two resumed packing the rest of whatever they needed to and once the lights were out they went to their respective mattresses, Karis on the top bunk and Matthew on the bottom. Several minutes passed in silence but she decided to break it and see if he was still up.

"Hey."

She could hear his blanket shuffling and he groaned, probably stretching.

"What?"

She flipped onto her back, hands over her abdomen. "I'm only going with you guys so I can see my father," she said rather sheepishly. "I don't really want to put my life in danger and save the world again. Once was good enough, right?" Even though she said it she didn't believe it wholeheartedly. If they didn't step up and lend a helping hand she knew nobody else would. It wasn't like the number of Adepts was decreasing... more like the skill and motivation of them were.

"Yeah, okay."

It seemed he didn't believe it, either. He knew her by now: she would say one thing and do another, not hypocritical but just hiding her feelings. They both knew she was dying to go on another adventure, and that wasn't only because of her father being included. She couldn't stand knowing there was something happening in the world and not understanding why.

Karis rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, thankful he at least didn't hold it against her.

"Well, when morning comes I guess we'll be heading out."

"Yup," said Matthew. She could hear the grogginess in his voice, guessing it was because she broke the silence again and he was starting to fall asleep.

She rolled over and covered herself up with the blanket, deciding she should probably do the same. Kalay wasn't that far away, about a day's trip from the cabin, but getting there would prove to be tiresome and she knew that well. She'd probably collapse on the way if she didn't get enough sleep tonight, so she breathed in and out a few times, clearing her mind so she could relax.

"Goodnight," she said softly in the dark, not really expecting a response.

"Night."

...

The road to Kalay proved to be long and, despite her traveling there quite often, Karis found herself tired just after the trek through Patcher's Place. She didn't know how she would make it through another two towns before their destination if she felt like this. Her earlier happy-go-lucky, chipper mood from this morning had quickly turned into unenthusiastic and cranky.

Even Matthew said he was feeling the same, and it took a lot for him to admit he was tired. The two discussed their sudden symptoms - lightheadedness, hunger, fatigue - in hopes that Isaac would tell them something in terms of a resting place.

To both the kids' dismays though, Isaac ignored their whining, saying they were probably just tired from walking so far after lounging around the house doing nothing.

Karis pouted but couldn't exactly disagree with that. She thought it was often, but the last time she'd been to Kalay was easily three months ago already, and for Matthew it had been even longer. They went together one time but had disagreements on when to leave so she decided to just travel on her own from then on. But three months of no real traveling wouldn't make her feel this tired so quickly, right?

"Maybe it's the Vortex at Kraden's house growing bigger and starting to affect us," she offered, grasping at whatever straws she could reach. "Or maybe there's a Vortex around here somewhere..."

Matthew nodded, taking into account how they all felt when they got close to the Psynergy Vortex in the mine near Tanglewood. It was a similar feeling to right now, where it felt like the energy was just being sucked right out of him.

After a few more minutes of tiresome walking, Isaac decided to play along for a moment, even stopping in the middle of the road. "What does it feel like, Karis?"

She stopped, too, and noticed just how fast her heart had been beating. She took a deep breath. "I... I don't really know. It kind of feels like something inside me's just disappearing, like I'm losing all my energy suddenly."

The wind picked up and Isaac frowned, though he didn't say anything else for a long while. Karis thought his sudden interest in her and Matthew's loss of stamina confusing but she didn't focus on it too much, instead trying her best to keep up with the Venus Adepts.

But not long after he'd said that, things started to get weirder. Isaac told them that once they got to Carver's Camp, they would rest for a while and have lunch at the inn. The elder Adept had never been one to stop early, so his son and Karis both exchanged worried looks, afraid that Isaac was hiding something, probably at least a little bit tired himself.

"How are you feeling?" she asked hesitantly, though she knew she probably wouldn't get anywhere. Isaac was even more secretive than his son, it seemed.

"I could use a rest," he replied curtly.

She huffed, wondering why, if he was hiding something, he would tell them he was starting to feel the same way. If he was trying to keep them (or at least her) from getting worried, it was far too late for that. She wanted to know what was going on, but it didn't seem like she would get any answers until they met up with Kraden.

After realizing that even Matthew had begun to stay silent, Karis thought it was a bit fishy: even though he and his father didn't talk much, they seemed to share the art of keeping secrets, or at least the "men of few words" thing. She silently wondered if it was just in Venus Adepts' blood or genes to naturally be the loner types.

But it wasn't just Venus Adepts, she remembered. The friends she made during the journey had sort of kept to themselves as well, as long as they were staying at an inn or something of the sort. Whenever they were in combat they wasted no time voicing their own opinions and battle cries.

In general, she was alone most of the time, which she wouldn't have minded so much if she didn't see everyone else having fun with one another. She liked being by herself and figuring stuff out on her own, but it slightly bothered her when she couldn't really connect with anybody.

Rief was a nice kid, but he knew too much for his own good. He was more book smart than street smart, so he had little to no common sense and oftentimes everybody had to tell him to stay quiet, especially when they were in the Belinsk Ruins and caught glimpses of Blados and Chalis. Nevertheless, he had studied under Kraden, so of course anybody would expect him to be knowledgeable, and Karis had to admit, he did prove to be useful in quite a few situations.

Amiti was... a bit awkward. He proved to be a useful fifth addition as the second Mercury Adept and third melee attacker of the party, but he was a little too innocent and reminded her of a child at times. That wasn't to say he was a bad friend, but she would have rather run to Matthew or even Tyrell before consulting him about anything serious. She vaguely remembered him mentioning that he was to take over the throne when his uncle passed. She felt sad knowing that, but also happy as she thought of how well Ayuthay would flourish under his rule; he had a good head on his shoulders, after all, and not being preoccupied with any other drama would surely be a benefit.

She had managed to get a little close to Sveta, but even then it was just Karis comforting her, not really becoming friends or anything. Maybe if there hadn't been so much going on during their quest, they would have clicked more, but the beastgirl always seemed to be in a rush, especially when everything was over. Even so, she was positive that Belinsk would welcome its new queen.

Eoleo was too old for any of them to really relate to, besides Kraden since he had known him as a toddler. And now that she thought about it, he only joined the party so he could avenge his father, and he never tried to make much contact with anybody, save for arguing with Amiti (which had, she admitted, proved to be a comic relief).

The last Adept to join the party, Himi, was a princess of Yamata, and as such was polite in everything she did. She never tried to mingle in any way, the only person whom she was even remotely close to being Rief for whatever reason. Plus there were quite a number of years between her and most of the party, which sort of added to the awkwardness she brought.

Truth was, only Tyrell and Matthew were her real close friends. The former was an idiot, though, and Matthew had only just begun to break out of his shell so it was weird getting used to it. Along with that, whenever she tried to talk to either one of them, they were always either with another one of the Adepts - Matthew with Sveta or steering the ship, Tyrell with Eoleo or at least Rief to ensure that he didn't steer them straight into an iceberg. Suffice to say, she hadn't really had anyone to talk to during the journey - or at least she didn't feel like interrupting anyone. When they happened to be alone together, she and Amiti would make small talk but it was nothing to shake a stick at.

Not a moment too soon the three Adepts reached Carver's Camp. Isaac led them through the small establishment and into the inn with little more than a glance at anything in proximity, not even looking behind him to make sure the kids were still there.

Karis took notice of the increase in temperature - it had been a little chilly outside - and allowed herself a breath of relief. At least the food wouldn't be the only warmth she received.

Isaac talked to the innkeeper and asked her for lunch, tiredly smiling and nodding when she recognized him as "one of the Warriors." He tried to pull some coins out and prepay the bill but she hurriedly refused, telling him she couldn't accept another reward from the great Warrior. He sighed but didn't try to force it, thanking her earnestly and heading over to an empty table, Matthew and Karis in tow.

As they waited for the food to arrive and be delivered they sat, each looking at something different than another. Isaac preoccupied himself with a local newspaper, coincidentally covering a Psynergy Vortex that appeared not too far from the Camp just months ago, though it also stated that it went away in less than a day, being only the size of a tree stump. Matthew stared off into space, occasionally looking around the restaurant at anyone and everyone, but didn't say anything. This left Karis to ponder the silence and look at all the artwork on the walls - which was, undeniably, boring.

The moments passed with Isaac knowing he had to at least tell them something so they wouldn't keep worrying, but Karis beat him to breaking the ice.

"Will we be stopping in Belinsk?" the Jupiter Adept asked, eager for a laugh. She could feel Matthew's gaze burning into the side of her face, and she knew she was pushing her luck.

He glanced up from the newspaper. "What's in Belinsk?"

Karis grinned towards Matthew. "Why don't you ask your son?"

Matthew glared at her, obviously not appreciating the sudden mischievous side of her, but awkwardly turned his attention to his father.

"What's there?" Isaac tried again. This time he put the paper down and cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Is it a girl?"

The younger Venus Adept turned his head, wondering just what he deserved to be in this mess. He would have begged for Karis's help if she hadn't been the one to start the whole ordeal. He felt some heat rise up to his face without his consent.

Isaac rubbed the bridge of his nose. "All right, never mind, you don't have to tell me. Actually, there's a bit of information I need to tell the two of you anyway," he said, seizing the opportunity.

Karis listened intensely, her interest piqued. She didn't mind that her plan to get the two to talk to each other failed as long as she was learning why at least Isaac was acting strangely today.

"I wanted to wait until we met with Kraden but it's unfair to keep you two out of the loop," he continued, followed by a sigh. "The Mourning Moon is a gigantic Psynergy Vortex, larger than any we've encountered before. It comes once approximately every ten years - or it's _supposed _to, anyway."

He quickly reminisced to the previous two, remembering his exact feelings as clearly as if the catastrophes were still here. The first one appeared ten years after the Golden Sun event; he remembered it vividly because that was the year he and Jenna were married. They had just gone to Tolbi to try their hands at gambling, quickly learning they were both very bad at it and that Ivan was surprisingly the best.

When they returned home to New Vale only to find it had been deserted, they realized later on by word of mouth and Kraden that the Vortex had passed through it while they were out honeymooning. The villagers had either escaped or tried to fend it off themselves because they had no idea just how destructive its properties were.

After that, the couple had more or less lived separately, Isaac in his newly-built cabin and Jenna down in Kalay. She pleaded with him to rethink his decisions, telling him she would be devastated if something were to happen to him, but he assured her that he'd be fine. They exchanged letters and even met up every few months to make it less excruciating, and one of those visits was when Matthew was conceived.

The second one was after Matthew was born - six years after, to be exact, so he didn't exactly expect him to remember it, and he was glad he didn't. Compared to the first one, though, which caused so much fear and destruction that half of Weyard was rebuilding for the next five years, the second Mourning Moon had been a joke. All it did was swirl in the air, causing some fear to rise about its "building potential," but otherwise brought no harm. Thanks to the records he kept and compared with Kraden's and Ivan's, though, Isaac figured out the phenomenon would occur every ten years.

"What do you mean it's supposed to?" Karis asked, confused. "It's been thirty years since they started appearing, right? I was a kid when the second Moon rolled around so I don't remember much, but I do remember my father always going outside and writing down stuff."

Isaac nodded. "Yes. However, the second Mourning Moon didn't cause any harm, unless you count fear."

"It didn't do any damage?"

Even Matthew was interested but he figured he would be the one to accept the plates full of food from the waitress. He thanked her and awkwardly apologized for the overenthusiastic loudness of his companions, but the waitress brushed it off, saying something along the lines of forgiving a Warrior of Vale, much like the innkeeper herself had.

"None at all." He noticed the plate in front of him and instead of questioning it he just grabbed his silverware and began digging in. There was something about inn food that he'd grown to really miss. In a way it was nostalgic eating it again - it was like having a home-cooked meal, but with all the different ingredients of the local area.

Karis exchanged a glance with Matthew but otherwise ignored Isaac and stabbed her fork into her own food. They had only been on the road for a few hours but she was famished, probably from the exhaustion she had been feeling. As she chewed, she closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

Matthew sat there awkwardly, not really hungry, pushing his food around with the silverware. He had one hand on the side of his head while he watched the dumplings roll around. Bored, he finally stabbed one and brought it to his mouth, chewing, now glancing up at his father. Isaac noticed and looked down, tilting his head in confusion.

Answering his unasked question, Matthew swallowed the dumpling, along with his pride, and spoke for both himself and Karis. "You're still hiding something."

"Yes," his father said, agreeing with him. He had no intention of keeping it hidden - he was just more preoccupied with the food at the moment. He took another bite and fully chewed it, taking a few moments to gather his thoughts after swallowing. "I believe the Vortex is siphoning our energy. I don't know where it's taking it, and I don't know if we'll ever regain it, but you two seemed to feel it as well."

The younger Adepts nodded in sync and kept listening, though Karis noted the way he said "as well", indicating that he himself felt his energy draining too.

"Well, I don't know all the specifics - that's why we'll have to visit Kraden - but I'm almost certain that there is another Vortex around here somewhere. It seems that only Vortexes larger than normal affect more than just us Adepts, but anything smaller will cause us to grow weary in just moments, depending on its size and power."

Karis grimaced. It made sense, but that didn't mean she liked hearing it. "So, just for a second, let's say that what Kraden found _is _the third Mourning Moon. Does that mean a bunch of little Vortexes are popping up because of it?"

Isaac shook his head. "I'm not sure. Truthfully, I don't know if Kraden has the answer for that, either. It's not exactly a common thing, so we haven't been able to research it as thoroughly as we would like."

"I thought you said it comes every ten years?"

"On average, yes. The first one was the first ten years after the Golden Sun, the second was another decade after that, but it was the one that didn't cause any destruction so it's hard to even consider it one of the Moons. And now we have this potential third one. It's remained out of sight since the thirty-year mark rolled around, and we actually thought at first that it was the Vortex that appeared outside the cabin last year, but it shrank in size day by day and over one night just disappeared completely."

He realized he was still pretty hungry so he took a pause, biting off and chewing pieces of meat from the stew. Karis didn't seem to mind, taking notice of her own food once more, but he decided it would be best to keep the train of thought rolling while it was.

"Over the years, Kraden, Ivan, and I have exchanged a few letters regarding the state of Weyard and the Vortexes. We compared notes about Mt. Aleph and the various Psynergy Vortexes that had appeared. It seems smaller ones appear in cities and other crowded places, while bigger ones like the one at the cabin appear in wide open spaces with room to expand. We don't know what it means, though, so I'm hoping that with all of us together we can figure something out."

Matthew looked interested in what his father was saying, as per Karis's glances anyway, but after Isaac said that now he seemed almost... concerned, like something was bothering him. Karis decided to leave it alone for now, knowing if he had knowledge essential to their journey he would share it, but she made a mental note to ask him when they were alone later.

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, though, as the three Adepts finished their meals in silence. They all had something weighing on their minds now, so they couldn't wait to meet up with the old scholar, or at least Ivan.

...

Several hours and two rests later, they finally found themselves in Kalay. The familiar scent of city life filled Karis's nostrils and she smiled happily, the sounds of people clamoring being music to her ears. Visibly perking up, she even felt her worries fade away as soon as she set foot in the nostalgic city.

Miles of buildings and shops and houses alike reigned in old memories, and some new construction caught her eye. It wasn't uncommon for Kalay to get a few new buildings every time she visited, but she liked seeing how unique the architecture was because there were so many different construction workers here. Just a few blocks away from where she stood were the outskirts of the shopping district and she could hear everybody chattering about prices and clothes and shoes - it reminded her of what life was like before she moved to the Plateau to study Alchemy.

The Jupiter Adept hadn't even noticed that she was lagging behind until she heard Isaac call her name, and when she turned her head to look at the two men, they were easily a few hundred feet away.

She hurried toward them, smile still plastered to her lips when she saw her father's house in the distance. Karis ran past the two, who were undoubtedly going to the same place to see Jenna, and barged through the door, not surprised at all to find it unlocked.

Karis threw her backpack down beside the stairway and jogged to the living room a few feet away, spotting an all-too-familiar figure seated in his favorite chair. He turned around when he heard the door slam open and shut and grinned when he saw his daughter running toward him, laughing.

"Dad!" Karis yelled, jumping onto Ivan when he rose from his chair, dangling from his neck with her arms wrapped around it. He laughed and spun her around a few times, clinging to her more tightly. He kissed her forehead and set her down, still hugging her and grinning.

"You have to come home more often," he whispered into her hair, ruffling it in the process. She crinkled her nose but otherwise didn't object, too busy being absorbed in her happiness.

"I've only been gone for a few months."

Footsteps thudded down the stairway and the two glanced in their direction.

"What's all the noise, Ivan?"

Immediately recognizing the voice, she broke away from her father and ran over to the stairway, wasting no time by taking two steps at a time until she came in contact with Jenna, hugging her forcefully. "Jenna!"

The older woman stumbled backwards a little but laughed, returning the embrace. "It's good to see you, Karis! What a surprise!"

Karis pulled away and smiled. "Matthew and Isaac are here, too," she informed her, making sure her father could also hear.

"They are?" The surprise in Jenna's tone told Karis that the elder woman hadn't been expecting them either. So they didn't even know about the Mourning Moon yet, did they? She thought Kraden would've sent a letter to her father as well.

She pushed the thought away though as the door opened and in stepped Isaac, Matthew behind him. Jenna's eyes widened and she rushed down the stairs and brought the two of them into a big hug, squeezing Matthew a bit tighter.

"I've missed you guys!"

"Mom..." A red tint appeared on his cheeks. Jenna giggled and pulled away, though, ruffling her son's hair affectionately, and glanced up at Isaac instead, a pained expression suddenly on her face. Isaac stared into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, closing his eyes and the space between them, kissing his wife with so much passion that she melted in his embrace, temporarily forgetting her annoyance towards him for not letting her come to the cabin for the second time. Matthew decided now was the time to sneak away, so he and Karis made their way over to the living room sofa to allow the "kids" more privacy.

"How are things here?" Karis asked her father, seating herself comfortably, smiling eagerly.

Matthew finally shrugged off his backpack, setting it behind the couch, and he sat next to his friend (who was definitely more bubbly than before, he noted), stealing a glance at his parents to see if they were done sucking face yet. When he saw Jenna's hands roaming over Isaac's face as they both opened and closed their mouths onto one another's, he scrunched up his nose in disgust and knew that they, in fact, weren't. He turned back quickly.

Ivan grinned. "Great." He nodded towards Matthew. "It's great to see you're well, Matthew."

The Venus Adept nodded back and offered a weak smile, showing Ivan that even though he couldn't really say it, he was glad his friend's father was all right, too.

Ivan reached behind him to grab something, bringing it into sight, and Karis's eyes widened. A staff...? The majority of it was white, the top holding a purple orb in the center of three light green prongs. The staff curved into a sharp point at the bottom and just from observing it looked as sharp as Matthew's sword.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

"It's for you!" He smiled. "Happy early birthday, Karis!"

She blushed, seemingly having totally forgotten, as he walked over and hugged her again. "Dad, my birthday isn't for another four months..."

"I know. That's why I said 'early.'" He pulled away and handed her the staff. Without really realizing she was doing it, she ran her hands along the item, feeling the metallic texture, running her hands up to the purple orb and tracing it absentmindedly.

"I made it just for you, so the prongs are a little bit jagged...be careful," he warned, retreating back to his chair, watching her trace the special gift. "I just wasn't sure when I'd see you next."

Matthew had gone out the door some time ago - they both assumed it was to stop by Garet's house.

She smiled at her father. It was endearing to know he remembered she much preferred attacking weapons as to staves and he made it sharp at the bottom. Now it could double as both a magical staff and a weapon, if need be. "It's beautiful, Dad. Thanks."

Ivan nodded. "You know what I call it?"

"What?"

"I call it the Grace Rod."

She smiled brighter. Her name, Karis, came from an ancient language, and in that language, _Karis _meant _grace. _It was so cheesy, but so like Ivan, and she couldn't keep herself from grinning stupidly.

They stayed silent for a while, Karis still running her hands along the artifact, and Isaac and Jenna finally came over to them, Jenna blushing.

"Sorry," she uttered weakly. Isaac just smiled like a fool, finally greeting his younger blond friend.

Ivan waved it off. "I'm glad you guys haven't split up," he responded lamely, thinking back to his own wife - well, ex-wife - who left him and Karis when she was young. He didn't even know if she was alive right now, and as much as he hated to admit it, as she was one of his only real loves, he didn't care. She left him the best thing in the world, and he smiled at his daughter. Pretty soon she'd be legal age to marry without his consent, and while that scared him, he was happy because she was growing up._  
><em>

"Where did Matthew go?" asked Jenna, glancing around the room quickly before resting her eyes on the Jupiter Adepts.

Before either could answer the door slammed open yet again - how many times Ivan had replaced it he couldn't count - and Garet, Tyrell, Matthew, and a red-haired woman stepped through the opening. Garet gawked at the reunion and scoffed.

"How the hell was I supposed to know there was a get-together at Ivan's house?" he asked loudly, taking notice of Isaac and Karis. "I had to find out from my best friend's _son_!" He ignored Jenna's protests that it was her house, too, and the other redhead woman came up to him, putting a hand on Garet's chest.

"Calm down, honey," she soothed. "Just a minute ago you promised you wouldn't get angry."

The large man looked down at her, momentarily forgetting all his stupid rage and smiling when he saw how calm she was. He put an arm around her, still a little flash of annoyance on his face though visibly happy to have his wife beside him, and walked over to the group, the two boys in tow. Matthew and Tyrell took their seats next to Karis, the Mars Adept being sure to sit on the end while Matthew took the middle.

"Hi, Isabel," Jenna greeted, smiling at the redhead, who politely smiled back and waved with a free hand. Isaac greeted her as well, and the three conversed in small talk for a while.

"How have you been, Tyrell?" Karis asked, peeking around Matthew to see the Mars Adept. "And why are you sitting so far away?" She frowned, realizing that Tyrell was more and more leaning to the side of the sofa, clutching the armrest.

"I'm not trying to - I'm just giving Matthew the awkward seat that sinks in!" He laughed, pointing childishly at his blond friend who was, in fact, slowly sinking lower into the furniture. Karis shook her head and sighed. It was his stupidity that gradually started everything in the first place.

Matthew rubbed his temples as he felt an unpleasant and foolish argument coming on. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid - that was why he agreed to sit in the middle. Soon, Garet and his mom would be fighting, too, reverting back to old times. He sighed and tried to concentrate on the adults and their conversations. Though boring, they didn't annoy him like his two friends' bickering did, and Jenna and Garet weren't annoyed by each other yet. At least everything was back to normal, he told himself.

He was just glad he didn't have to live here all the time, which led him to wonder just how Ivan could tolerate it, especially living with Jenna of all people.

After a while, everyone finally settled down, Isaac and Jenna standing in front of the fireplace holding hands, Garet and Isabel standing across from them at the opening between the living room and the kitchen beside the staircase, and Ivan sitting alone in his chair, making sure to get his two cents in every conversation.

It was quiet for a while afterwards, the only sound being the crackling of the fire, and Ivan cleared his throat awkwardly.

"So, um, Isaac," he began, "did you come here for a specific reason, or just to visit again?" He hoped it wasn't the former and was disappointed when the Venus Adept's face fell slightly.

"Yeah, we're here for a reason." He looked down at the floor, taking a sudden interest in the patterned carpet. "It's a bad one, too." He unclasped his wife's hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the letter Kraden sent to him. He handed it to Ivan with a sad face.

"From Kraden?" the younger blond asked; the older nodded.

"I'm surprised he didn't write to you," Isaac told him with a twinge of confusion. Were things really so bad where Kraden was?

Jenna shot a confused look of her own towards her husband, but he didn't notice so she turned his face toward hers. "Why didn't you tell me something was wrong?" she asked, displeased.

"Shh, shh, shh," he pleaded, coaxing her to lower her voice so the kids would look away. He began whispering. "It's best for all of you to find out at once. It's not a light subject."

Jenna huffed but let it go, grabbing her husband's hand again.

While Ivan read the letter, several emotions crossed his face - confusion, anger, sadness, and finally understanding - and Garet walked over and peeked over his shoulder to try and read it. To his dismay, the Jupiter Adept folded the paper back up and held it in between both hands.

He spent no time beating around the bush. "The third Mourning Moon is here." It wasn't a question.

Jenna and Isabel gasped, and Tyrell and Garet just looked confused.

"I thought we got rid of it when we ended the Eclipse," Tyrell said. Ivan shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," he said sadly.

* * *

><p><em>~CGA<em>


	3. Inn Some Trouble

**A/N: **Oh boy, this chapter was a doozy. It honestly felt like a chore editing it. Oh, and I officially despise the English language (at least the Americanized version). Why can't discreet and discrete just be one freakin' word? I swear I've looked up their differences a hundred times but I still don't quite understand what's so different about them. So if you don't like it... leave a review and tell me which word to use! D:

Anyway, for this one, I fixed:

- A few things in the beginning, a bit more with the Ivan and Karis scene. Karis isn't whiny continuation.

- No more random, awkward swears from Isaac and Ivan. Though it's probably in their character to do it at least once when they're worried about their kids it isn't exactly in the cards to go all out. (Of course they didn't go past dammit or hell but still.)

- Fixed it so that when they meet up with Kraden it's on the road rather than his cottage because come on, if _Kraden _got hurt by the Vortex, how the f would the Adepts get there and still be unscathed?

- Took out Kraden's rant. It'll be here next chapter, but the way I rewrote this one, it just didn't seem to fit in.

- Made some references to Flameshipping :P That isn't what this is though, obviously. They're just old friends! Plus they live in the same town now so of course they jab each other now and then. Can't wait to get some more Jenna and Ivan playful back and forth going.

- Also made references to my other story Colder Weather. Though it hasn't been updated in like ninety years it's good! You should check it out and bug me to update it :)

- After I edited chapter one, there weren't really any shipping tingles, so I tried to add them back into this one. Well okay they aren't TINGLES but y'know. I was arguing with myself against it but when the romance shows up in later chapters I don't want it to seem forced and rushed, so... the sooner the better, right? D:

- Improved characters' reactions to just about everything. They were pretty OOC prior to this. Still are, but THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT. They're my characters and I love them~

- Changed the overall tone (I hope) of the story. Yes there's a humongous threat literally just looming over them, but since when has that stopped them from being themselves? Especially the Mars Adepts, come on.

- Rearranged a bunch of crap. Kraden's rant will come next chapter (not looking forward to editing that, I saw it at the bottom of this chapter before editing it), and Amiti's appearance will be sooner than chapter 5 - as in, next chapter he'll be there, because they're going to Ayuthay and all.

Small note: In this story (and my others, though it hasn't really appeared) I'm exchanging the word "earth" for "weyard" pretty much everywhere. Since they live in an entirely different world (Weyard) they don't know what "Earth" is, so I shouldn't make them talk about something they undeniably have no knowledge of. That's something I wish the games would've picked up on (I distinctly remember Kraden explaining Venus Psynergy as "control over the earth," and while earth could just refer to land, weyard slips off the tongue better for a story like this, I think).

Anyway, I'm already liking this a helluva lot better than the old installment. Characters are more fleshed out, there's more humor (hopefully), and also more character interaction. With my improved writing skills, I hope to enhance explanations for anything and everything, so if you're confused, lemme know! I'll probably be doing review responses in the story rather than PMs, if only because this is a plot-related fic, so one person's question may be another's. But this all depends on how popular the story gets, if at all.

Thank you for reading! This chapter is my longest ever, at a whopping 11.3k words. I'm hoping to keep them riiiight around this length.

* * *

><p>The seven Adepts traveled for the first two hours at each other's heels, some small talk here and there but otherwise quietly. Time seemed to drag on and on but the older Adepts who hadn't experienced a true adventure in so long couldn't wait to start it. They could inhale the excitement it would bring.<p>

Jenna, in particular, was positively beaming with emotion. She hadn't been out and about since her teenage years, back when she was just a little older than the kids now. She remembered the hardships of course, but very faintly, as the things that stuck out most were the pleasant memories. Memories of her and Isaac - knowing that he was coming to rescue her when she was kidnapped - and Sheba and Piers and… Felix. She shook her head, trying to forget that she hadn't seen her brunet brother, instead focusing on the road in front of her.

Karis, oblivious to Jenna's feelings, just continued onward, staying behind the group with her father and occasionally engaging in conversation with him. She truly did enjoy his company because it was much better than being with the same two people, sometimes four if Tyrell and Garet were there, everyday. It was nice to see Ivan every once in a while, and she was just assuming it would be for more than a month's stay this time, considering the chaos that was apparently ensuing as they walked. Was she wrong to suddenly become excited about risking her life as long as it meant she would get to spend time with her father?

It was true she initially left home to accompany Isaac and Matthew because she was curious about Mt. Aleph, but the more she remembered home the more she missed Ivan and Jenna, who served as her sort of surrogate mother.

She bit her lip, only just now thinking of what lay in store for the Adepts. What was Kraden going to tell them? Was he just going to elaborate on what Isaac said? How disastrous was the first Mourning Moon, and evidently, how bad was the third now? Would they be strong enough to face it with seven Adepts, or would they have to recruit others?

What were they up to, her old friends? And not just hers, either - what about Mia, or Sheba, or Piers? Were they in good health? How was the pirate Eoleo doing, or the timid healer Rief? How were her royalty companions, Amiti, Sveta, and Himi, handling their respective countries? Though they weren't exactly the best of friends, she still thought and worried about them from time to time. Unlike Isaac, she hadn't written to anybody or visited anybody since they all separated, and now that it plagued her mind she felt guilty for never exchanging letters with anybody.

She sighed. Thinking about them made her miss them, even if she'd never really connected with them. It was just that everything was rushed when they were trying to stop the Eclipse. It was always "let's go to that island next" or "let's investigate here." The townspeople would always recognize Matthew, Rief, and Tyrell as the Warriors' children, and sometimes they would get unwanted attention - and Karis was secretly glad she had green hair, making her almost unrecognizable as Ivan's daughter. She guessed she had something to thank her mother for, after all, she thought bitterly.

Ivan turned towards her with a concerned look on his face, hearing her sigh and sensing she was feeling a bit down. "What's wrong?"

She snapped to attention, meeting her father's eye. "Just thinking."

"About the quest?"

"A little, but mainly about my friends."

Ivan looked thoughtful. "Do you miss them?"

She stole her father's expression and nodded, quietly whispering, "Yeah."

"I'm sure you'll see them again soon."

He smiled down at her, assuring her everything would be all right sooner or later.

She didn't quite fall for the innocent act, though. She _knew _that smile - it was the look that told her he knew something she didn't. Though they didn't spend every waking moment of the day together anymore she still knew more about him than anybody else, she wagered.

"There's something you're not telling me," she told him. "What is it?"

He shook his head with a stern look, turning his head to watch his footing. Of course she'd sensed he was hiding something; regardless of whether or not she inherited his Mind Read, she was a Jupiter Adept with natural-born empathizing abilities. He sighed. "Nothing I'm willing to say just yet."

Karis pouted but otherwise let it go, figuring she would hear it from Kraden's mouth in just a few hours. If her father didn't want to tell her... fine. There were plenty other things she could occupy herself with until then.

"I'm just relieved you don't have to bear the burden of mindreading," he whispered.

She glanced towards him but didn't hear what he said, so for the most part she ignored it. Why was everybody acting so strange, though? Was there something going on that only Ivan and Isaac knew about? Isaac said very little on the subject of the Vortexes and Mourning Moon, and Ivan didn't say anything at all, making her a bit wary.

Ivan exhaled, feeling more distress from his daughter. Of course he could sense a handful of anxiety in the others, but for the most part they were absorbed in their own conversations and not as focused on the underlying issue like Karis was. Besides, she was his daughter, so it was only natural for him to worry about her more than everyone else, right? He dreadfully wished there was on off switch for that sort of stuff, though, because sooner or later he knew it would catch up to him.

"Karis, you'll hear it all from Kraden later, I promise you. That old coot can't stand not spewing something of importance from his mouth. Besides, it's better you hear from someone who knows what he's talking about."

He smiled and shook his head when she didn't reply. "Let's go back, we're lagging behind everyone. I'm sorry if I worried you." With a nod of his head he gestured to the rest of the party, now several hundred feet away from the two Jupiter Adepts.

Karis felt a bit better after hearing him at least acknowledge he was hiding something, but as she walked alongside him she still couldn't help but wonder what was going on. He and Isaac were acting so secretive. She told herself it was probably because they didn't want to speculate and cause any unnecessary worry among the party, but that didn't ease her mind any. It was almost like she could slice a knife through everything they weren't telling her and the rest of the Adepts.

She shook the thoughts, though, and quickened her pace to catch up with the others, eager to hear what Matthew and Tyrell were talking about so discreetly.

Ivan stayed behind the group to allow his daughter some privacy, and his eyes were drawn to little purple dots in the sky, flying around as if panicking. He couldn't quite discern what they were, but a bad thought popped into his head as he watched them, which seemed to be fighting against the wind. It was similar to the way a moth would flutter around a lamp, barely touching it, just hovering around it. He felt his stomach sink, and then he finally understood.

They were getting close.

...

After a half hour had passed Karis had started to feel dizzy again. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling but it was unwelcoming and seemed to worsen with every second that dragged on. Her pace had slowed down to almost a complete stop and when her feet stopped carrying her, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

It felt like her stomach was on fire. Her insides were being torn apart, her lungs failing to hold any air and shriveling up, collapsing into the bottom of her rib cage. The beating heart near the center of it all had long since stopped, shrinking as well, blood bursting from every hole, drowning what was left of her working organs. The pain wouldn't let up, instead becoming worse and worse and Karis screamed in agony, startling everybody in the group. Ivan turned around first, gasping.

"Karis!" he shouted, sprinting over to his green-haired daughter and kneeling down, cradling her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

She coughed, and it sounded more like a hack. "M-my...stomach - "

"Your stomach? Your stomach what? Karis, are you okay?"

By now the others had made their way over to the scene, ready to assist in some way if need be.

"Isaac, come here! Come on and heal her!" he demanded, glaring icily at his older blond friend who complied with a nervous expression.

"Ivan, I'm not a Mercury - "

"I don't _care _if you're not a Mercury Adept! You're the most talented healer out of all of us!"

The Venus Adept gulped, hurrying over and kneeling down beside Karis, placing his hands in front of him and allowing the heat to flow through his body, feeling it build up in the palms of his hands, ready to transfer his own energy into the girl.

Then the warm feeling stopped.

"What?" Isaac whispered to himself, opening his eyes and bringing his hands up to his face, flipping them over and over, staring at them. "What just ha - "

"Isaac, what are you doing? My daughter could be _dying _right now!" Ivan screamed at his friend.

Just at that moment Jenna screamed as well and Isaac turned his head to look at his wife - and his son who was lying on the ground, his face against the gravel. He was clutching his chest.

Suddenly Ivan had a revelation, reminded of the mindreading session he had with Kraden (without the scholar's permission, but the information was still good) where he found out what it was all about. He felt rather childish and stupid for overreacting now.

"Matthew!" Isaac sprinted over to his son, Jenna by his side. He looked Matthew over, not seeing any signs of bruising or scratching or injury whatsoever. "Ivan, do you have _any _idea - "

"Isaac, leave them alone," Ivan interjected, knowing there wasn't anything they could really do. He didn't take Kraden's thoughts to heart at first, believing them to just be another skeptical idea, but he understood now, seeing everything unfold right in front of him.

"_Leave them alone? _Just a second ago you were yelling at me to do something and now you're telling me to let them be in pain?!"

Isaac glared at the Jupiter Adept but Ivan didn't seem to pay attention, instead being lost in his own little world as he stepped away from his crying daughter. He closed his eyes for a second only to open them again.

He spotted a lone Rat lurking in the background. "Gust!" he summoned, not really expecting the small Djinni to escape from his person, so when it didn't his suspicions were confirmed even more so. "Gust!" he tried again with just a sliver of disbelief, and once again there was no creature escaping. The Rat scurried away quickly.

"Their Djinn have left them," he breathed. Though it wasn't exactly something to be glad about, he felt himself exhale a sigh of relief, reveling in the fact that at least it wasn't anything seriously life-threatening.

He hadn't expected the Venus Adept to hear him, but he did.

"What?" Isaac asked, confused. "How is that even possible, Ivan? Djinn are attached to the soul - "

"And that's why the process is hurting them so badly." Ivan glanced towards his friend before crouching down to his daughter once more. Her breathing had become more steady, at the very least. She wasn't clutching her stomach as tightly as before.

He sneaked a peek over at Matthew, too, where Jenna and Garet sat in front of him - Tyrell had made his way over to Karis, confused about it all. From what the Jupiter Adept could see, Matthew was still in a fit of pain but if he was correctly speculating, the young Adept would be over it in just a few minutes like Karis was.

"When Djinn attach themselves to an Adept, they gradually strengthen every part of him, meaning the body's organs work better than ever and he feels revitalized after gaining a new Djinni."

He glanced towards Isaac again. "Don't you remember the sudden weak feeling you get when you summon a Djinni? It feels like your energy's just been sapped." He didn't wait for a nod or any other reply. "I suspect the Vortex is forcibly draining the Djinn's powers and then sucking them up, so if you've been seeing colorful dots flying in the sky... I'm betting they're Djinn."

"...So any time a Djinni leaves your body you'll feel weak and stuff?" Tyrell asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

"Looks like somebody missed his Djinn 101 lesson," Garet muttered to Jenna. They were several feet from the other half of the party so there wasn't any fear of Tyrell hearing them, but that didn't stop Jenna from smacking his shoulder, scolding him for being so childish when it was his own son he was talking about.

Ivan nodded, either not hearing or just ignoring what the two had said. "That's right. Weren't you involved in an incident in Tanglewood a while back? When Garet came home he told me you got so close to a Vortex that you felt dazed."

The Mars Adept nodded. "I was a little out of breath but I didn't feel as bad as Matt and Karis are feeling right now."

Ivan listened with open ears. "It seems like there's something you're worried about."

"Well, I'm not feeling tired at all - I mean obviously we're walking and that gets me tired, but it's not like I'm falling on the ground screaming. And I'm pretty sure I've seen some red dots flying around."

The Jupiter Adept pursed his lips, searching for an answer. When he couldn't come up with one he just told him, "Perhaps you have a higher tolerance than those two because of your experience with Vortexes."

"But why aren't we falling to the ground like that?" asked Jenna curiously. "I've barely used my Djinn since our adventure all those years ago... Did they leave or something or is it just because we're older, we have a higher pain tolerance...?"

Ivan shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I'm hoping Kraden will have some answers for us." He put a hand to his chin, stroking the area where at least a stubble should be. "If I had to guess, though, I'd say it's because we're more accustomed to having our Djinn equipped, with nearly forty years of experience under our belts."

"Ugh, Ivan, quit making us sound so freakin' old," Garet said in annoyance.

"But you are," his son told him calmly. "If you all didn't wait until almost thirty to have us kids you wouldn't be so old right now."

"Hey, hey, hey, there are reasons for that!" Jenna defended, though she sighed and let it go after realizing Tyrell was only trying to get a rise out of them. It was just like Garet; she couldn't believe how similar the two were.

In any case, nobody talked for a while after that, half the party leaning over Karis and the other over Matthew. It seemed the kids had calmed down significantly but were still in some sort of pain, judging by their faces.

"We need to get to Kraden," Ivan spoke, breaking the silence.

Several nods of heads agreed with him and he stood up first, the rest following suit. He picked up Karis and held her in his arms, exhaling shakily as he saw her still-pained expression, selfishly thankful he couldn't sense her pain through his ability. It seemed like she could have fallen asleep at any time now. Her green hair fell under his arm, still in its messy ponytail and tickling him a bit. The staff equipped on her back poked through his clothes and stabbed at his arm but he ignored it, determined to find some answers from the man he knew could provide them.

Isaac did the same with Matthew. He locked eyes with Jenna, who looked just as confused as he did.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Jenna, I promise everything will be okay. He's just tired." _Ivan knows what he's talking about. _

She nodded, though unsure, and followed her husband through the rest of the trails that led to Kraden's place.

...

Fortunately the shortcut Ivan made the last time he visited the old man was still there, so the Adepts wouldn't have to travel through the Konpa Ruins. In an hour less than they expected, they could make out the familiarity of orange weyard past the valley between the mountains. The sky and land would have looked like the same thing if the sea didn't lie in between, blue and white peeking out from the distance.

Also lurking in the distance...

"Dad, I'm not feeling so great," Karis told Ivan. Thankfully she was still being carried in his arms so her head lolled around as he walked, providing a little relief for her sudden headache; the less she could think about it the less it hurt, obviously. She felt a bit better than earlier - at least her insides felt fine - but now her whole body just felt numb, so she truthfully wasn't sure if the pain subsided or just got so bad she drowned it out and made herself numb.

"I know, Karis, I know," he replied soothingly. He stared down at her and smiled, though she could tell it was forced and even then only a half-smile.

She grimaced. "I'm sorry I'm so heavy. You've been carrying me for over an hour already." Or at least she thought it had been that long. She might have fallen asleep, meaning time could have gone either way at that point. She didn't really remember much of anything that happened other than her feeling incredibly sick, and that Matthew -

"Are you kidding? You're a feather compared to the time Garet got drunk and Isaac and Mia were - "

"Matthew!" Karis shouted, interrupting and ignoring Ivan, her voice a bit hoarse. She tried to sit up but quickly threw away the idea when her body rejected it. Ivan gently pushed her back down, not caring about the interruption; he was used to it anyway. "How are you feeling?"

She looked frantically around for her friend before meeting eyes with Isaac. "He's still asleep. Seems he had it worse despite feeling the symptoms a while after you did."

The girl stared at Matthew, being carried along in his father's grip. His eyes were closed and after staring closely she could see his chest rising and falling with each breath he took.

"So... what's this about you and Mia?" Jenna asked beside her husband, certainly not ignoring Ivan.

Isaac gulped. "Thanks, Ivan." He sent a glare over to the younger Adept's general direction who didn't so much as look at him. "It wasn't anything, really, see... We were just - "

"Hey, look, it's Kraden!"

After hearing Tyrell's outburst, all the Adepts (the ones who were awake, anyway) followed his line of sight a few hundred yards away where, sure enough, the old man stood against the base of a boulder. He carried a makeshift cane of wood in his right hand and a book in the other. As they made his way towards him they could see the knapsack he carried on his back, signaling that he had officially left his house.

Isaac was the first to run to him after handing Matthew to Jenna. "How are you feeling, Kraden?" he asked. The old man didn't wave at them or even call to them despite them knowing he was aware of the presence. Isaac immediately put his hands up to Kraden's torso without waiting to hear a response first; even though he admitted in his letter he wasn't feeling the greatest, Isaac knew there was no way he would talk about his pain.

"I am fine, Isaac," Kraden assured him. That didn't stop him from pouring his Psynergy into him, though, doing his best to heal the wounds he could see clear as day. They were spread out all over his body, indicating that he'd had more than a normal fall.

"What really happened?" asked Ivan as he made his way over to the scene, the others right behind him.

After Isaac exhausted his supply and brought his hands away, panting lightly, Kraden scolded him, ignoring the other people for now. "The Vortex is near, Isaac. You shouldn't have worried about me; instead, think about your Psynergy reserves. Do you feel a bit lightheaded now?"

The Venus Adept stared at him with a wary and knowing expression. "I absorbed a big part of the Sun. I'm fine. But rather than that..." He motioned toward his friends. "We have a few questions we'd like to ask you."

Kraden nodded, dropping the matter and smiling at last. "Nice to see you all faring well - " He stopped when he took second glances at Matthew and Karis. "What's wrong?"

"We were hoping to ask you about that," Ivan replied. He nodded his head down to Karis. "Karis and Matthew collapsed a little after we left Kalay. Since then, Matthew's been asleep and Karis has woken up but seems a little out of it."

"Hey! I'm feeling great!"

Her father paid no mind to her protests (since she still couldn't stand up, let alone walk, on her own) and continued. "I believe their Djinn have left them."

The scholar nodded in agreement. "When I left my cottage I watched the colors flying in the sky. They were all absorbed by the Vortex." He suddenly remembered something. "Are you all unhurt? Other than these two here, I see nobody else is desperately ill or in danger of collapsing."

"It was only a four-hour walk," Tyrell said in annoyance. "It takes almost that long just to get from Kalay to the stupid cabin."

Kraden looked down at him almost in amazement. "You don't feel troubled? I am positive all of your Djinn were taken as well."

The boy frowned. "No, they've been on standby since I had that run-in with Pewter or whatever - that really mean and obnoxious Djinni back in Kolima."

"You haven't used your Djinn in over a year?" Kraden confirmed incredulously.

Tyrell nodded, acting as if it was nothing. "Actually almost two years, since we were only like halfway through our thing when we met Pewter."

"He's totally oblivious..." mused Garet in wonder.

Jenna laughed but was careful not to rouse Matthew too much. "He's your son." Garet palmed his face.

Ivan sighed. "Mars Adept jokes aside..." He ignored Jenna's protests. "Is there somewhere we can rest and talk? I believe we all could use a break after today."

"You're only saying that because you've been carrying me," his daughter told him. She tried wriggling out of his grasp but again was met with the resistance of her own body. "Ouch." She smiled sheepishly and stayed put now.

Suddenly a hum from the other side of the mountain caught everyone's attention. Kraden made a sour expression.

"Sadly, the Vortex is very close to my house. Though it's taken nearly a week, it has moved." He shook his head. "It would be against our best interest to go there at this time. I suggest traveling to Ayuthay where it would undoubtedly be safer."

"You think being underground will help?" Tyrell asked.

"Yes."

Karis stared up at her father. "We're going to Ayuthay?"

"I'm not sure yet," he answered curtly.

"Isaac," started Kraden, waiting for the blond to face him, "just hours after I sent you my letter, I received one from someone completely unexpected. He said he contacted me because he didn't know who else to turn to, and since I was closest out of anybody else it would be most convenient."

"Was it Amiti?"

The scholar nodded at Tyrell. "Yes, it was King Amiti. Apparently there's some trouble in his city as well, and he was wondering if I could gather all of you to help. Ideally it would have been great to reunite with everybody..." He reminisced shortly about the other eight Adepts he had a pleasure of meeting throughout the years, sad they couldn't be here too. "They are all busy with their own matters, though. Did you know Mia is the unofficial mayor of Imil now? And Piers and Felix have been away on a sailing adventure, though I'm not entirely sure what they're looking for."

"Have you heard from Sheba?" Ivan asked. Karis eyed him warily, noting the way he asked so eagerly; though she did admit she felt a little off-kilter, she wasn't so out of it that she wouldn't remember this.

Kraden smiled sadly. "Not in quite some time. We crossed paths in Tolbi one morning when I was picking up some of Lord Babi's old belongings, but she didn't seem to say much and left before anything of importance could be relayed from either of us." He sighed, musing aloud. "That had to have been nearly twenty years ago by now."

"We're all getting older," Jenna agreed quietly and solemnly, "and soon these guys will catch up to us." She shifted Matthew in her arms before giving up, frowning. "Isaac, I don't know how you managed to carry this kid for so long - he eats just like Garet, I swear. Take him back!"

Isaac laughed and walked over, taking their son from her. He planted a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry, thanks for taking him for a few. I'll make it up to you somehow," he added in a low tone, though everybody around heard them clearly. Garet mock gagged both from the insult and the display of affection while Ivan and Karis seemed to stare longingly.

She didn't remember much of her mother since she was only a toddler when she left, but she recalled seeing her and Ivan acting just like that on more than one occasion. She hoped her father didn't miss her too much. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't even remember her mother's name; for a moment she wondered if that had anything to do with Ivan and his telekinetic powers but pushed it away when Kraden continued.

"In any case, everyone, we should make haste to Ayuthay lest we be stopped by dusk."

There were several nods of agreement and only Tyrell didn't offer his.

"Can't we at least stop for some lunch? I'm starving here!" He patted his stomach lovingly. "I haven't eaten since breakfast, and that was already half a day ago!"

"Don't be selfish, Tyrell. We're all hungry," Karis chided, though if they were talking about selfish... She bit her lip, knowing she couldn't help feeling like this. Her toes were numb and her arms couldn't move in the slightest, and she had to keep her mind on other things so she didn't think about the possibility of something being wrong.

Matthew seemed perfectly carefree, on the other hand, as she watched him. He had the same expression, just a pleasant, sleeping face while he slept the day away. Why had she woken up first? Did Matthew have it worse than she did? She remembered that on her trips to Kalay she would send a few of her Djinn away so that she would have a backup energy supply in case danger approached, but she didn't understand why that would make any difference. They acquired Djinn at different times but in the end they had the same number, so the problem lay in what they did with them, right?

Karis envied him, but at the same time she felt pity. Not only would he wake up to Isaac's grip but he was also missing out on the interesting discussions that were happening. If he didn't wake up soon, he would miss the reunion with Amiti too.

But before she could worry about him... she should worry about herself. She couldn't even move - something she could neither confirm nor deny for her friend. Perhaps he was in better shape overall because he was still asleep.

"I wouldn't mind having a short stop," Isaac said, partially agreeing with Tyrell. "We should at least move a little bit away from this spot, though. We don't want to get caught up in another tired spell."

"Another? Don't tell me you're going to collapse too, Isaac." Jenna watched her husband with a raised eyebrow.

He laughed. "I'm fine, I promise." He gently adjusted the person he was carrying. "Besides, I wouldn't drop Matthew like that."

Karis smiled sadly, hearing that. It wasn't her place to intervene in their family affairs, but she wished that whatever problem Matthew had with his father he would resolve already. When she saw how much Isaac really cared for him it tugged at her heart to know her friend didn't feel the same. Deep down she knew that wasn't the issue, but also deep down Matthew was an extremely stubborn person.

Maybe that was why she got along with him so well, though.

"We can stop in Harapa," Garet provided. "I'm feeling a bit starved, myself."

"You're always up for food, you coot."

"Hey! You're only three years behind me, Ivan! Can it!"

"At least I'm not pushing fifty just yet." Ivan laughed, and suddenly the vibration from it surrounded Karis's body, soothing her, and she felt herself getting drowsy despite being wide awake mere moments ago. As she closed her eyes and slowly let sleep overtake her, she called out to him.

"Dad..."

"Hmm?" He didn't exactly hear her, her voice was so quiet. "What's the matter?"

She mumbled something else but then continued clearly, "Don't ever let go."

Ivan smiled lovingly and kissed her hair. "I didn't even think about it."

Karis fell victim to her slumber and Ivan watched her, a slightly pained expression on his face.

"They'll be fine, Ivan," Isaac assured his younger friend.

A crisp afternoon breeze accompanied his voice and Ivan was shaken from his thoughts. "Thanks," he said, smiling genuinely once more.

"Isaac is right, Ivan," added Kraden. "Karis and Matthew are just overtired right now. Vortexes alone have enough power to leave an Adept breathless, but a Mourning Moon, like what I suspect this behind us is, has the ability to drain all power from him... until he returns to a regular person."

"Well, let's not stick around to let it do that to us," Tyrell said, being one for action and not words.

Garet sighed. "I guess I can wait a while to eat. We might not have enough food and have to stop by a restaurant, anyway," he said, acting even more irresponsible than his son.

Kraden watched the Adepts, amused, though he couldn't help thinking that after he lost his own Tyrell to the Moon, he gained another one.

...

After a few more hours on the beaten path, the Adepts and Kraden were beginning to get antsy. Kraden hadn't offered any rants or facts of his own since they met up, so not much else regarding the Moon or Vortexes in general was said. They all settled for small talk.

"So what's been going on at the cabin? Anything interesting that I should know about?" Jenna asked Isaac eagerly. Though she didn't particularly want to move back to where her family was figuratively ripped apart, she had to admit she wanted to know how the remnants of her early life were pulling through. Pieces of Sol Sanctum were still there - according to Isaac, anyway - and even some old houses survived all the phenomena that surrounded them, though none was in any sort of inhabitable condition at this point.

"Nothing really, and never mind that," Isaac dismissed a little too abruptly, despite wanting to go on and on about his findings, just like Kraden. "How are things there in Kalay? You and Ivan aren't, y'know...?"

The brunette slapped his arm with a scoff. "He only fell on me that one time! We were trying to change the light bulb and you know how short he is!"

"And how inept you are," Isaac shot back. He smirked as her hand made contact with his arm once more, proud with his pun. "How many idiots does it take..."

Behind the two, Ivan sighed, cursing his genes for making him so short. He knew it was all in good fun, but... really, his daughter was almost his height, lagging behind by only a few inches.

Isaac set out the main path - with Jenna's help after she complained enough about being left out - and planned out what they would do in Harapa. Afterwards they would trek through the forest for a shortcut to Ayuthay, and from then on they would deal with whatever young King Amiti needed them for.

Karis had woken up a while ago, and suddenly all of the pain she'd been feeling subsided. She could feel her toes and arms and even move them, so as soon as she figured that out she told Ivan to put her down so she could walk - or at least try to.

Ivan silently thanked the gods, not only because he was happy she wasn't hurt but also so he could tend to the wound caused by her staff now. Nearly three hours straight of carrying her with the staff in the same place had unsurprisingly left a mark on his side.

He stretched out his arms, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted - though he was in no way calling his daughter heavy - and basked in his happiness. Despite knowing there was underlying danger pretty much everywhere they looked, for the moment, everything in his world was perfect.

Not too long after, Matthew woke up as well. He was groggy at first, especially after noticing where he was, but other than that he was completely fine. When asked about how he felt or if he remembered anything, his mind came to a blank, however, causing some worry among the party.

For the most part, though, everybody walked along, just minutes from Harapa's entrance now. The kids had woken up just in time for the other Adepts and Kraden to rest.

"Ah, my old bones have never been more happy to see a town's lights," the old man mused. Isaac had healed him to a degree earlier, and the Golden Sun had given him a little bit of life yet, but unfortunately nothing could stop the flow of time and he was beginning to feel it after his fall. He used his cane carefully, still avoiding trouble areas such as steep hills and trenches.

"Yeah, me too, except I'm not old," agreed Tyrell, grinning happily. "I can't wait to eat!"

"All right, all right. We need to at least _try _to enter this town as unnoticed as possible," Isaac said, resuming his leader role. "I don't want to have to spend hours upon end with some random townspeople just because we're more or less famous."

Jenna scowled. "You're enjoying this! Don't deny it."

He laughed in response. "Maybe a little. It's been a while, anyway."

Karis glanced up at the sky, illuminated by both stars and the nightlights of the town. It wouldn't be long before it was completely dark; they must have misjudged the time it would take to get there. Or maybe having to carry both her and Matthew had slowed down the pace. "We won't be leaving until morning, will we?" she asked.

Ivan nodded, agreeing with her. "It would be best to ride out the night here. At least we would have an inn."

"We can't be wasting money so suddenly."

"Oh, come on, Isaac!" Garet scoffed. "Don't be so stingy! Do you really wanna spend the night in a tent? You didn't ever seem to like it when we were on our own adventure."

The Venus Adept sighed, knowing his friend was right. "Yeah, all right, fine. I'll ask the innkeeper if he has any rooms for the night, but no promises; if nothing's available we're heading out as soon as we're done eating."

"We can share rooms! Right, Matthew?" Tyrell asked, jabbing his friend in the side with his elbow.

The blond simply nodded in response, and everyone around agreed he had to be feeling better; he was never really one for words, anyway, so if he suddenly started talking their ears off they would know something was still wrong.

Yet, Karis still wasn't entirely convinced. She watched him the rest of the way to Harapa, generally tuning out what Isaac and the rest were saying about the inn, wishing she could just pull him to the side to talk to him. Maybe...

"Ah! You lot are the Warriors, are you not?"

The sudden voice interrupted all the Adepts' conversations and thoughts, and they looked ahead to see a man of small stature. He stood just behind the town gate, wearing typical Ei-Jei clothes and a smile that... honestly freaked them out a bit.

"Who's asking?" Garet questioned him cautiously. Jenna resisted the urge to elbow him for being so rude to a stranger.

The man chuckled, smile not disappearing. "My apologies. I am called Sotno, the more-or-less mayor of Harapa. I was informed of some voices down the road so I came out to investigate; I am glad to see it is only friendly people coming to our town."

Isaac made his way to Sotno, extending a friendly hand. "We'll be in your care tonight."

"Oh, so we _are _staying at the inn?"

"Tyrell, shh!" Karis scolded, holding a finger to her lips. "We don't know if they even have anything available," she added in a hushed tone, teeth clenched. She was glad to be back to normal - she missed talking to everyone like this, even if Tyrell made her angry most of the time.

Sotno laughed and accepted Isaac's hand, shaking it briefly. "We have not had many travelers lately, so the inn is mainly free of guests at this time. It would be our pleasure to serve you, though..."

He looked among all the people in front of him. "We currently only have five rooms available. Will that change your mind?"

"Well, in that case - "

"Yes, please let us stay!" Karis shouted, cutting off Isaac. She exchanged glances with him in the dark and was glad he didn't press the issue any further, though she could feel the eyes of her father digging into the back of her head. She just hoped he wasn't using Mind Read on her like he'd promised.

Garet grinned, relishing the fact that he wouldn't have to spend another night in a tent - at least, not right now. "Yeah, c'mon Isaac. You and Jenna, Matthew and Tyrell, and Karis and Ivan could be in rooms, and then Kraden and I would have our own. Whaddya say?"

The Venus Adept exhaled, giving up as soon as other voices joined in on the noise. "Fine. I guess I have no choice now - wait, why would you get your own room?" He ignored it, though, knowing it would undoubtedly turn into an argument, and returned his attention to Sotno. "How much per night is one room?"

"Oh, no, no! For the Warriors, it is on us!" he assured, waving his hands in front of his face. "No matter how hard you try, I will not accept any form of payment."

"For five rooms?" Isaac frowned. It wasn't as if he didn't appreciate everyone's hospitality, but this was exactly why he didn't want to be seen in the town - though that was pretty much unavoidable with a party of eight. He didn't want special treatment.

He supposed, though, he didn't mind it every once in a while, he mused to himself as he put away his coin case. After all, he got a free lunch yesterday, so who was to say he couldn't get a free inn room or five every now and again?

"Thank you," he told Sotno, flashing a genuine smile of his own.

The man bowed. "It is the pleasure of Harapa to have you."

"Well, let's get settled in, then we can get some grub," said Garet, eager to get in and get out to the restaurant or whatever they were doing; he wasn't particularly listening to his blond friend when he told them his plan.

Kraden and the others seemed pleased by the conclusion the conversation came to, and soon they found themselves on the paved streets of Harapa. The older Adepts who had never been there before marveled in its beauty, the lights and architecture blowing their minds, while the three younger Adepts smiled in nostalgia. They passed the shop stands, now closed since the day was done, and came to the inn.

Sotno led the way for Garet, Isaac, Jenna, Kraden and Tyrell, but conveniently Matthew and Ivan were at the back with Karis, so she called out to them when the others were out of earshot.

"Hey... Dad, Matthew."

The two males turned around, wearing matching curious expressions.

"What is it?" Ivan asked while Matthew remained silent.

"Um, well..." She shifted around awkwardly and uncomfortably, second-guessing herself now that she was actually thinking about it. "I... have something I want to talk to Matthew about, so... canIsharearoomwithhiminsteadofyoutonightDad?"

Neither clearly heard her but Ivan's eyes widened as he'd caught enough of the jumbled phrase to guess what she said. "What?" he asked just in case.

Karis sighed, feeling a blush creep up to her cheeks. "C-can I... do you mind if Matthew and I share a room tonight?"

Ivan exhaled loudly, turning his head to the side and running a hand through his hair, now mussed. "Look, Karis, even though you're my daughter, I guess you're an adult now, too, so..." He looked at Matthew, trying hard not to glare. "Are you all right with this?"

The Venus Adept nodded his head quickly, a little afraid of making the wrong decision. "I'm okay with it."

Ivan groaned, putting his face in his hands. "I'm... going to do my best to not read your mind right now - either of you. But just know that I can pop in that room at any given time, even throughout the night, all right? So don't, if you're even _thinking _about anything, just don't do anything."

He normally thought of himself as a pretty lenient parent. He let her have her freedom when she wanted it, allowing her to go to the cabin with Isaac and Matthew and saying nothing when she had to step out of the house for a little while, even when she was only twelve years old. He thought he did rather well raising her on his own... so where did he go wrong? Was this the next step he would have to prepare himself for? Were she and Matthew going to go steady - _did they even call it that anymore_ -

"Dad," Karis started, interrupting his thoughts not a moment too soon, "it's not anything like that, so please don't start overreacting." She rubbed at her arm, the friction calming down her thoughts somewhat. "There's just some stuff I'd like to talk to him about, and it's the kind of stuff I can't really talk to anybody else about - but it's _not _what you're thinking about. We are not an item, and we never - whatever." She huffed, getting impatient with herself. "It's about what happened today, among other things."

"...Okay." Ivan accepted her garbled explanation with a grain of salt, though he admitted he did feel better afterwards. It seemed he jumped too far ahead to conclusions. Of course his daughter was responsible. "Just be careful."

"We will; we share a room at the cabin anyw - " She covered her mouth with both hands as she realized just what she'd said. The cabin only had one room and Isaac took the sofa as he normally got back either late at night or not at all, so the bunk beds in the downstairs room functioned perfectly for the two young Adepts. But she hadn't told Ivan that.

Karis grabbed Matthew's hand and hurried inside the door to the inn, making sure to not even glance at her father. Plus, she could feel her blush grow deeper and hotter, and she knew he would take it the wrong way.

"Gah!" Ivan shouted as the two disappeared behind the door. He couldn't hear the shuffling of their footsteps anymore, so he wagered they booked it all the way to the room.

He sighed. Whether he liked it or not, Karis was getting older, and even though she assured him there was nothing (and probably would never be anything) going on, he couldn't push the thought of her sharing a room with a guy from his mind. Even if it was Matthew, he didn't approve. He never would.

"Jeez." He kicked a pebble. "Now, where am I going to sleep..."

...

The forty-five-year-old Jupiter Adept wandered around the upstairs of the inn cautiously, knowing a step in any wrong direction would send him to the wrong room. Unfortunately, because of Karis's last minute request, he hadn't been briefed on where any of the rooms were and the others quickly took to their respective habitats.

Ivan took a glance around the giant hallway, searching all the doors for any sign of who inhabited them, and sighed. Knocking was his best option, then, since he didn't particularly want to Mind Read through a door only to find out its tenants were... previously occupied. He shuddered as some disturbing memories of Isaac and Jenna plagued his mind; he _lived _with that woman - there was absolutely no way he could ever look at her the same way he did back when they were still just teenagers.

Sadly, Mind Read didn't include Memory Erase.

The man shook his pride and braced himself, walking up to the first door on his left. If his hunches were right, then Isaac and Jenna would have taken the last room, and knowing Matthew as well as he did (which was still pretty limited), he figured he would want a room at least a little farther away from the entrance but still a good distance from his parents. But then again, knowing Karis... she would want the room closest to the entrance. Who was the more dominant one? Surely, Karis -

"Stop," he said aloud, scolding himself. He could really go for some Memory Erase right about now.

His endurance and patience with himself were quickly wearing thin so he decided to just stop thinking and try instead. Staying put at the first door on the left, he brought his knuckles up and knocked on wood.

It took a few moments but the door opened and revealed Tyrell.

"Oh, Ivan," the younger Adept said, not seeming very surprised. "Hey, do you know where Matthew is?" He gave Ivan a quick glance over and around him before giving up, figuring Matthew wasn't with him. "We were supposed to share the room but apparently he had other plans. Did he meet a girl or something?"

Ivan resisted the urge to go through every door now, trying to find the Venus Adept by himself, and just pursed his lips. "How am I supposed to know where he is?"

Tyrell seemed to think about it for no more than a second, after which he nodded. "Good point. Anyway," he said, leaning against the door and crossing his arms coolly. "What brings you here?"

The older man looked thoughtful for a moment before deciding this would definitely not work out. No matter how much he respected Isabel (and to a lesser extent Garet) there was no way he was sharing a bed with their son. Though... at this point his only other options were Kraden or Garet. He smiled despite that; maybe he could rope Garet into staying with his son so he could have the separate room.

"Do you know where your dad's room is?"

Tyrell huffed. "Yeah, yeah, it's always about my dad. Whenever someone wants me it's always to talk about the great Warrior and how I should be more like him and stuff. Well, it ain't gonna happen; I'm _nothing _like my dad!" He further proved his point by clenching his fists in a way only Garet would.

"I'm... sorry?"

"Anyway, Dad's room is right across from mine. He's probably already asleep, though."

Ivan nodded, being awkwardly reminded of Garet when he was Tyrell's age. They really were so similar and didn't even know it. "Thank you, Tyrell."

He spun on his heel and knocked on the door, first on the right this time. "Garet, open up."

A groggy groan came from the other side. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ivan."

"Go away."

The Jupiter Adept rubbed his temples, desperately not in the mood for this. He just wanted some peace and quiet where he could really think about everything that was happening. He needed time to gather his thoughts and maybe even write down some theories that he could discuss with Isaac and Kraden later. Worst-possible-case-scenario, he shared the room with Kraden, but that was why it was a worst case and not a "decent" one. Everybody knew the scholar snored, not to mention talked in his sleep.

Ivan would much rather wait until Kraden was awake to hear about the Vortexes, or even his pigeon with the cruel reason behind the name.

He tried the handle, surprised to find it unlocked, and made his way in, completely ignoring Garet's lack of a shirt - though he was incredibly thankful the light was turned off.

"Garet, I'm taking your room from you," he stated simply, starting to pick up the loose materials the Mars Adept had already managed to leave strewn about. Once he had a good collection he shoved them into Garet's hands, not waiting for a reply. "Tyrell's alone in his room, or you've got Kraden. Either way I don't care, I just need some space to myself."

"H-hey, wait, Ivan." Garet donned a shirt from the pile of belongings and continued. "If you wanna take it from me, you're gonna have to give something back in return." He grinned mischievously. "Unless you'd feel like sharing a bed with moi?"

He resisted the urge to cringe, not having to look to know Garet was probably gesturing to himself in all his newly-dressed glory.

"I'll make you breakfast in the morning. How's that?"

Garet smiled. "Now you're talkin'." He slung his backpack over his shoulder, opening the door. "You got a deal. I like my eggs fried, brown around the edges, and make sure not to dry the yolk. Toast has to be perfectly moistened with butter, and - "

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already," Ivan replied, practically pushing him out the door. "I'm waking you up at six, so be prepared."

Before the Mars Adept could protest any further Ivan shut the door and sighed. He didn't know why he was feeling so strange all of a sudden, especially since he had already come to pretty concrete terms that Karis and Matthew weren't doing anything inherently bad. Once he got himself immersed in a book or writing down some information, he was almost certain he would be himself again.

He had until morning to figure out some way to miraculously become a good cook, anyway.

...

Karis leaned back against the dresser, putting her hands behind her to hold herself up. She looked around the room lazily for the tenth time, not really noting the double bed she'd already seen and flipped out about earlier. Of course she'd be the one to suggest this setup, but... she was having second thoughts again after fully realizing it. Still, if she backed out now not only would her father bombard her with questions, but she would also have to explain to Tyrell and the rest why they suddenly decided to share a room in the first place. She'd rather slink out unseen in the morning, though she knew even that would be too much to ask.

It was a modest room, no bigger than any other inn they'd been at, so there wasn't a sofa or any other furniture which could be made into a bed, either, so she didn't exactly know how it was going to pan out. They slept in the same room, yes, but the same bed was going a bit overboard. She didn't think they did that even when they were children.

"Are you going to say anything?" Matthew asked her impatiently from the other side of the cramped room, sitting on the bed. He wasn't about to tell her he was thinking about the same thing; in general Karis was extremely easy to read. She was hot-headed, stubborn, and temperamental, and most of the time acted like a know-it-all, but she was almost always in good spirits and he admired that about her.

There were a ton more reasons he liked her, but those were the main ones that made him l -

"Well, for starters, how are you feeling?"

He snapped to attention, staring at her like a Dirge in a lantern's light. "What do you mean?"

"I mean how are you feeling? We've both had a pretty eventful day." She crossed her arms.

Matthew nodded, understanding now. "I guess... for the most part I'm feeling fine. I'm a little tired but that's just because it's almost midnight."

The Jupiter Adept raised an eyebrow. "'For the most part'? So does that mean there's some part of you that doesn't feel fine?"

"Well - "

"Is that the part of you that realized Isaac was carrying you?"

He sighed, not liking at all where this was going, almost tempted to retract all of his prior thoughts about her. "Stop trying to pick at it, just leave it alone. If something's not broken don't try to fix it, Karis."

She frowned, fully standing up and making her way over to him. "You can't see how much your father cares for you - how much _both _your parents care for you. When you collapsed earlier, Isaac ran as fast as he could towards you, and he carried you for hours on end while you just kept sleeping away with the same expression on your face."

She stared down at him. "And when you finally woke up and realized where you were, you just got down without a word, without even saying thank you or anything, and just left. You could've at least thanked your mother, you know. She took care of you while Isaac healed Kraden."

Matthew pursed his lips, though he expected this kind of talk from her. He exhaled and leaned back on the bed, arms underneath his head. She just couldn't leave well enough alone. "Why do you care so much about this? You've been pestering me for years trying to get me to talk about it."

Suddenly he felt pressure next to him on the bed and he jolted up, almost knocking heads with her. "Sorry," he offered weakly.

Karis brushed it off and sighed herself, hands on her lap. "You just don't know how lucky you are, Matthew."

He silently begged her to elaborate but she did anyway.

"Pretty much all my life it's just been Dad and me. I know it's silly to say this, but I would give anything to even see a glimpse of my mother's face again, to just see her smile and tell me I'm the prettiest girl in the world." She laughed despite herself. "You act so spoiled and take everything you have for granted."

"...Yeah," he agreed softly. He stretched out his hands in front of him, chuckling when she acted disgusted after hearing his knuckles crack. "Hey, listen. I appreciate you trying to patch things up, but honestly, nothing can be done at this point."

"But - "

"It's been nearly eight years, Karis. Can't you just let it go?"

She huffed childishly. "But..." She stopped after seeing the look in his eyes, smiling sadly. "All right. Just... try and be nicer to the people who care about you - and that includes Isaac."

Karis stood up and made her way to the lamp on the dresser. She figured she could leave the topic alone, at least for tonight. It wasn't like she'd made a promise or anything. "Anyway..." She turned it off, thankful now that it was dark so it would hide her red face. She suddenly understood just why Ivan was so reluctant to let this happen. "We should get some sleep. If Dad's conversation with Garet meant anything, we'll be woken up pretty early - not to mention if he really goes through with coming in and checking up on us."

Matthew responded with a nod but remembered it was dark. "Sure. So are we gonna..."

"W-what, no!"

"I didn't mean that!" he half-shouted. "I just meant... are we gonna, y'know... sleep here together?"

She stayed firmly put in her place by the lamp, tempted to turn it back on. "Well, I don't really see any other option."

"I could sleep on the floor..."

"No! I mean, uh, it's okay." She shook her head, taking her thoughts with it. "It's okay," she repeated. "We sleep in the same room up at the cabin, so the same bed shouldn't be too much different, right?"

He laughed nervously. "Right." He rolled over to his side, taking notice of her footsteps and finally the added pressure of her on the bed. "I'll sleep on top of the blanket so it won't be as weird."

Karis was about to scold him and tell him not to worry about it, but she was honestly pretty grateful. "Thanks," she said earnestly, pulling the covers up over herself - though, suddenly the room had gotten so warm she thought she wouldn't need it. She quietly pushed them down to her torso, rolling over on her side.

"That wasn't all you wanted to talk about, was it?"

She bit her lip, though she was grateful that the atmosphere wasn't quite so awkward as before. "No." She shifted a bit so she was lying on her back, staring up at the dark ceiling. "I just wanted to ask about what happened today, about us losing our energy and collapsing and falling asleep and everything."

"I thought that could be it." Matthew mulled it over for a moment. "After it happened, I kind of tuned out everything everyone was saying, so I didn't hear anything. Did you?" He turned and inclined his head to try and see her but had no luck considering the room was pitch black, his eyes not adjusting to it quite yet.

"No, not really. I guess we'll hear it from the others tomorrow anyway, but I'm just trying to figure out why it was only us who were affected. I remember Tyrell and them talking about Djinn or something or other, but it still doesn't make sense; I think I was pretty out of it," she admitted with a laugh, at least remembering her father saying the same thing.

"Yeah," the Venus Adept agreed. "It sort of felt like... I was dying." He shuddered at the memory just earlier that day. "It was completely different from anything I experienced during our adventure, and I remember getting hurt a lot."

Karis nodded. "It felt like every part of me was either burning up or being torn out." A chill ran up her spine and she rolled back over. "I hope that doesn't continue." She also hoped she'd hear soon the reason for the calamity, and what was wrong with Amiti that he needed their help, and what the Mourning Moon was all about. There was no reason for the adults to hide stuff from them, she didn't think, but that was exactly what it felt like they were doing. At least she knew Kraden wouldn't - she just hadn't had a chance to properly talk with him since she came out of her previous out-of-it state.

"Me too," he replied to both parts. "Anyway, it's late. We can find out more in the morning, so let's just try and get some sleep for now."

She yawned, realizing just how tired she really was - plus, the bed proved to be very comfortable. "You're right. Sorry for keeping you up."

He was about to brush it off, telling her not to worry about it, but she beat him to another sentence.

"Oh, and Matthew," she started, pausing a little, "thanks for letting me stay here tonight."

For a moment the Venus Adept didn't reply, but then he thought she would think he was asleep already. He smiled. "No problem."

* * *

><p><em>~CGA<em>


	4. Ayuthay

**A/N: **I realize a lot of this story so far is just focusing on the characters and their personalities, lol, but don't be turned off. I guess the story is more about them than the plot, especially near the end, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on! I just can't forget about my babies ;-;

Anyway, this is the last chapter I edited/rewrote before the new ones came out! So for my last super duper long A/N, let's point out the differences.

- "Traveling time" scene was shortened, mainly because I felt I didn't need to focus so much on it anymore, since this chapter's about Ayuthay and Amiti and Kraden, so that whole scene feels kinda choppy to me, but whatever it's still the beginning of the story so I'm allowed to have really crappy writing!

side note: I know the games aren't much to go by, but since it's canon, I'm keeping "Ayuthay" as both the name of the city and to describe something/someone that came from there. In the encyclopedia for Veriti and Lake Barai it reads as "Ayuthay" for citizens, so...

another side note: after further research I actually confirmed that my whole idea for this story is canon :D I mean, the whole Djinn getting sucked up thing, not what I have planned exactly...

For my ideas in general, I guess here's what you need to know:

I completely disregard Alex and the Tuaparang, they literally won't even get mentioned other than the little hint comments dropped by Amiti about his father. I dunno how it's supposed to work out but whatever, just go along with it. Instead, I go for my own plot~ Even though the Tuaparang probably had something to do with the Vortexes anyway, I just banish them back into their world and make my own characters who are controlling them (woops, semi-spoiler, but you had to expect it after playing DD that someone was putting the Vortexes there). I guess in the long run I _could _bring in the Tuaparang but I'd have trouble keeping up with the plot DD had for them.

What else... Oh, yeah, it's rather convenient that 3/4 of the Adepts are left out in this story. They'll get mentioned but... haha, they won't appear at all. When I planned this whole story three years ago (dang), I didn't intend to include any of them, and I still really don't, despite my biased love for Felix and Piers. Nope, it's just focusing on the 8 Adepts you see here. If you're worried about Kraden, don't be, because he skips out on the journey for his own super-convenient reasons. You'll see.

But yeah, I kind of sacrifice canon for headcanon. Oh, well.

and I know Sotno is a stupid name I'm sorry but _it honestly sounds like it could fit into the GS universe_

after edits/rewrites oh my gooooodddd this chapter is so long I'm so sorry. But it was actually fun writing it so y'know maybe they'll all be this length. It's 13k words, what am I even doing with my life.

anyway, onto the failed attempts at humor~!

* * *

><p>After Sotno saw them out in the morning, the party traveled in side-by-side groups of two except for Matthew and Kraden. The Venus Adept walked behind Karis and Ivan while Kraden made his way around everybody, starting up mini conversations here and there. The sun was heavy and harsh in the sky but that didn't stop them, too determined to make it to their destination already. Isaac and Jenna naturally led the way, holding hands.<p>

Tyrell stood behind Matthew and beside his father, a bored expression replacing his usual groggy one from being awake this early in the morning. "So, we're going to Ayuthay now, right?" he asked nobody in particular, though he was glad when his father took notice of him (and was the only one who did so).

Garet glanced down at his son for a moment. "Yes," he affirmed, readjusting his backpack since it was beginning to hug his shoulders a little too tightly. It had been quite a while since he'd last used it, and it was almost as if he'd gained a few pounds between the last adventure and now. He was surprised he didn't notice it yesterday that it was a little snug. Must've been middle age, he mused.

"To see Amiti?"

"_King _Amiti," his father corrected, pausing for a split second after the word 'king' to further emphasize it. Even if the king was his son's friend, he needed to address him by his title. Garet had made that mistake several times on his own journey, mocking Babi and Lord McCoy whenever he got the chance; the memories caused his lips to curve up ever-so-slightly. But he wouldn't let his son make a fool out of himself - any more than he already had, anyway, what with the soarwing incident.

Tyrell stayed silent for a few more minutes, just walking alongside him. His backpack shifted between sides on his back but he didn't seem to notice or care. He sighed. "I'm hungry." Cue his growling stomach.

Garet grimaced; just hearing those words made his own stomach churn from the memory of Ivan's attempted breakfast just an hour ago. He really didn't mind giving his room up to a friend in need - he just wished that needy friend would've told him he sucked at cooking. He couldn't even eat Jenna and Karis's specially made pancakes, especially Karis's because she was Ivan's offspring and he feared the bad trait had been passed down.

Said Jupiter Adepts trailed just behind Isaac and Jenna, Karis being sure to leave enough space when the pair whispered to each other to ensure she didn't hear whatever they were talking about; she figured it wasn't for her ears, in any case.

Instead, she glanced up at her father, wondering what he was thinking about and pitying herself for not being able to check. He'd always told her it was a double-edged sword, but she honestly couldn't see how; with practice, one could learn to control it so he wasn't constantly invading people's minds, and besides, it would give her a chance to finally figure out just what was going on in everyone's head. Just within these past few days she'd learned that the people she had grown to trust the most kept the highest number of secrets.

Thankfully when everyone sat down for breakfast, though, she and Matthew were brought up to speed with everything that was going on - that they knew of, anyway. The Djinn, how they were being absorbed by the Vortex, a little bit more about Amiti's letter... Karis remembered bits and pieces of it from when she was half-awake, but other than that, it felt like she was hearing it for the first time. Some confused her but for the most part she was satisfied with the explanations she was given.

Her father met her eye but didn't give her the same reassuring smile he normally would. His face looked rather preoccupied with curiosity and something else at the moment.

"How was last night?"

She stopped in her tracks, grateful there was nobody directly behind her (it seemed Matthew had moved to Tyrell's side) so she wouldn't get in anyone's way. A blush crept onto her face and she glanced down at the ground. "It was... fine."

Ivan's eyes widened in fear, but he did his best to push away every possible thought besides the ones that mattered. He'd managed to avoid asking about it until they were at least partially alone. "Did you... find out everything you wanted to?"

Karis nodded shyly and continued walking, though at a much slower pace than before. She could feel his eyes boring into her but did her best to ignore it.

"Did anything happen?"

"Ah! N-no!" She put her hands up in defense automatically, turning towards him. "Nothing at all."

And it was true: nothing _had _happened, so why was she feeling so nervous all of a sudden? They just slept in the same bed, that was all. If it was any other guy, even Rief of all people (and she knew how awkward _that _would be), it would be the same exact situation. And in actuality, she should have felt less nervous because it was Matthew, her childhood friend. She and Tyrell were close to an extent, but she didn't see him as often anymore, especially since he and Garet moved back to Kalay after the Eclipse so they could spend more time with Isabel.

She racked her brain, not understanding why any other time she would be completely composed, but when it had anything to do with the opposite sex she was baffled. It never bothered her before, and it certainly hadn't bothered her on their journey (which was comprised of five males, might she add), so why now? She supposed she should just chalk it up to "random nervousness" but it didn't exactly satisfy her.

Ivan seemed suspicious due to her outburst, but he had no reason to disbelieve her, even if everything they said hid beneath a layer of innuendo. Karis was growing up fast, and he guessed he just didn't like that as much as he thought he would seventeen years ago. He let it go with an exhale of breath and resumed his own brisk pace.

She was happy they finally dropped it so she didn't have to think about it anymore. Hopefully she wouldn't find herself in a situation like that again, whether or not it was up to her.

It was arguably one of the worst decisions she'd ever made, though, she told herself in a scolding mind tone.

Just moments later an "Ow!" escaped from Matthew and the four in front looked back towards the Venus Adept, who was turned around as well. Tyrell was grinning.

"What the - Tyrell, did you kick dirt at me?" He rubbed tenderly at the back of his calf, already feeling a bruise starting to form. He was completely oblivious to all the attention he warranted, too focused on the pain. Tyrell's kicks were forceful... not to mention there were a few rocks trapped in between the dirt grains.

The redhead laughed childishly as Matthew turned back around and resumed walking, a slight limp in his step. His father had given him a stern look but now that Matthew was turned around he ruffled Tyrell's hair, snickering quietly as his fatherly side disappeared for a brief moment and his "buddy" side took its place.

Karis smiled once the atmosphere calmed down, feeling like herself again after witnessing a classic Tyrell and Matthew moment.

"Kraden, how are you doing?" Isaac's voice called out to the scholar, startling Karis out of her thoughts.

"I'm just fine, Isaac," Kraden replied pleasantly. He definitely seemed to be keeping up with his pace for the most part - and unperturbed by Jenna's lovey-dovey remarks and playful banter.

The Venus Adept cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're all right to keep going? It's still about two hours to Ayuthay; you're fine without a quick rest?"

Kraden smiled. "Really, I'm just fine. What little healing you did yesterday helped tremendously, so don't concern yourself too much with me."

"Okay..." Isaac said skeptically. "If you say so."

Karis felt the corners of her mouth curve upwards again at the scene. When he was surrounded by people he cared about, Isaac was really a very kind person. Even though he himself wasn't feeling too worn out (supposedly) from the apparent Vortex that was near Carver's Camp he still took her and Matthew to the inn for a rest and a meal. She could tell he was hiding a lot of stuff still, but she had to hand it to him that he was doing a good job of keeping everything under control.

She just wished Matthew could see that.

...

When they set foot in the city of Ayuthay, the pleasantness certainly didn't welcome them as it had before. It was no longer blue, green, or peaceful at all; instead all they could see was brown, red, and disastrous. There were several puddles of blood and piles of armor strewn about the landscape, making everything seem... lifeless, as if the Adepts and Kraden were the only living things for miles.

The small Lake Barai, once clear and overflowing with aquatic life, had seemed to grow dirtier and dirtier the more they looked at it, and the water level had seemed to considerably drop since the last time they visited. Lily pads could be spotted but were ripped and torn and not suitable for even a frog to sit.

Tying it all together, the gray sky let loose a few raindrops, signaling that there was probably a storm coming soon. The sprinkles fell all over, mainly on the destruction, creating an insanely unpleasant odor.

The four adults, never having seen the city before anyway, grew worried for its king and wondered if it had always looked like this, but Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis knew better. It had looked similar to this during the Grave Eclipse, but Ayuthay was known for its quick rebuilding. To see it in such disarray now was strange, especially under Amiti's rule; he was never one for leaving things unkempt, no matter how insignificant the matter was.

Karis felt her nose scrunch up at the smell (as did the others), but her ears perked up at a familia voice coming from the other side of the lake. It was eerily quiet everywhere around them so the sound was carried almost effortlessly, and everyone could hear him clearly.

"Johnathan, would you _kindly_inform Lillian that she is to converse with other people for the remainder of the day? I would rather like some alone time."

When she looked, the speaker had his aqua blue hair down and neat, the way it usually was throughout his journey with them, further proving Karis's earlier thoughts about him. However, his robes seemed tattered and worn. Just from the few words he spoke, she could tell his voice was hoarse, almost as if he had been talking the entire day, and from afar it seemed his entire stature was slouched, much unlike a regular king, let alone Amiti himself.

"Yes, Your Highness," came one of his servicemen's reply. In an instant the man turned around and walked away with a clipboard in his hand.

The large group began making their way slowly across the chaos and to where the king stood, cautiously avoiding anything they may step on.

"Now, as soon as my friends arrive - " the king began, but somebody from the other corner of Lake Barai cut him off.

"Hey, Amiti!" Tyrell's voice pierced through the wary atmosphere, making the blue-haired Adept turn his head towards the noise.

At the same time, the other of his servicemen retorted - though much more quietly - with, "Who in his right mind would refer to the king with such indecency?"

Amiti stuck a hand up and silenced him, but it was all he could do to stop himself from grinning in surprise and excitement like a fool. "Please, James." The servant protested but let it go after another word from his king.

Tyrell, feeling like being the leader for once, went ahead and stepped over the blood and metal armor like they were nothing, while the others followed behind him more reluctantly and carefully. It was almost as if he was playing "the floor is lava" except what was on the ground (probably) couldn't exactly burn him alive.

Even Kraden admitted that the Mars Adept proved to be the comic relief to lighten the mood, though, taking their minds off the wreckage at least for the moment.

Once they all made their way over to the king (the servants around him all gave them glares, not fully understanding how far they traveled - and that that was why they were so covered in mud), he greeted each of them with a smile, and then he met eyes with Kraden and his face fell a tad. For the brief moment he saw everyone's face he had forgotten that this trip was mainly business and he had no time for pleasantries.

Though, some small talk was made until the rain began pouring, and the king started his retreat back to safe quarters, beckoning to his companions both new and old.

"Come inside," he insisted. "With the rain almost always comes a storm, and none of us needs to catch cold."

Karis thought that was a bit ironic, considering when they first met Amiti he was always shirtless and the first one to come down with a fever. The thought faded away, though, as they were led through the small hallway-like corridor into the main part of the castle.

Instantly she could tell there had been some major remodeling and rebuilding done inside. It was no longer endless corners and doors that led to places unknown; instead, nearly every entrance to wherever had a sign on the outside describing what lay behind the door, be it servants' or citizens' rooms or the entrance to the underground or even the new public bath - which was new, she noted.

Along the way they passed several people, servicemen and regular people alike, most of which paid no mind to the travelers, though some turned their heads and upturned their noses in disdain.

Isaac rubbed his neck. "I suppose we don't look like the type of people who would live here."

Amiti stopped in his tracks and turned around to face all of them. "Oh, not at all! Forgive my people's rudeness." To emphasize his point he bowed his head lowly, bringing it back up a few seconds later. "I have tried to keep the Ayuthay under control without judgment, but it seems some would rather listen to Lillian than me."

"No, no, it's fine," Jenna piped in. "We're used to it - well, we _used_to be used to it... right, Isaac?"

He laughed. "Yeah."

"People would look at us like we were homeless or something!" Garet said.

"It wasn't entirely false, though."

"Ivan..."

"No - really, Isaac, you would keep all the coins for yourself. You wouldn't even let us get an inn!"

While the older Adepts went off on their own tangent, chattering about old times, Karis and the others turned their attention to Amiti, though Karis admitted Isaac's stinginess was understood - at least when it concerned Garet.

"Oh, that's right," she started, "you were talking about this Lillian girl before, right? When we first came in."

The king palmed his face. "Yes." He sighed. "She is rather... eccentric, if you will. Oh, pardon me, I forgot to really tell you who she is."

"Amiti, why are you being so formal?" asked Tyrell suddenly, butting in before Amiti could continue. "You weren't ever like this with us - you were more like me!"

"Don't insult him, Tyrell," Karis scolded, frowning. She cleared her throat, returning her attention back to Amiti. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

He glanced at Tyrell, making sure he wasn't offended by the comment, before answering Karis. "Lillian is... my cousin, if you will. The late Paithos never had a child of his own but after his death we learned of a possible heiress, a girl whom he had taken care of when she was young. She left his side shortly after turning ten, and Paithos never saw her again." He sighed. "However, after learning of his departure somehow, she came back to see if there were any complications in the ruling."

"But you're Ayuthay's king now," Karis said, confused. "Why is she still here if she knows you're not giving up the throne?"

He took a moment to respond, as if he was collecting his thoughts and wondering how to phrase it. "I truthfully don't know why, but Lillian has her own reasons for wanting power in this city, and for nearly-legal reasons, she was the rightful heiress to the crown, so we of the court must listen to her."

"Wait," Tyrell interrupted again, "_nearly_-legal? What the heck does that mean?"

"Well, before she left, my uncle tried adopting her legally, but just as the paperwork was finished going through the court, Lillian had vanished. I remember parts of it, of Paithos filling out the paperwork, but I was barely seven at the time."

Tyrell seemed to accept this, and by now the adults had started to take notice, as did Matthew - who was previously preoccupied with their trek through the hallways. Several paintings hung up on the walls, lining the blue with several different shades of gold and silver, adding to the overall feel of royalty that the palace gave off. It definitely had a different aura, but the outside left more to be desired.

"Do you guys still live underground?" Tyrell tried again, unknowingly asking in Matthew's place. They were still above ground right now, and judging by the size of the renovated palace, they easily could've lived here now. There was definitely more than enough space.

The Mercury Adept nodded. "Well... yes and no," he said hesitantly. "This is rather selfish, and embarrassing for me to admit, but I and the other members of royalty still reside in the underground palace, at night anyway. The common people remain above ground, however, to act as a shield should the need ever rise."

"But there's still so many of them around," Karis mused, remembering the image of the city when they first entered, all the heaps of armor strewn about. "What exactly happened here? Why do you need us?"

By now all the Adepts and Kraden had their interests piqued by the young king, and even though he wrote the letter to Kraden and addressed his people on a regular basis... he felt a little nervous having people he was at least acquainted with staring at him.

He coughed into his hand off to the side. "There was a small, short-lived war between us and Kaocho. I admit we've been lacking in our ability to repair the outside, but it isn't anything to concern yourselves with."

"Hey! You're starting to sound like your old self again!" Tyrell clapped him on the back, causing the king to elicit a loud "Oof!"

Amiti chuckled. "I suppose being with you all breaks me out of the royalty phase, if only for a little while." He glanced around the group, eyes landing on Matthew. "Speaking of phase... Matthew, I noticed you have not spoken yet. I trust everything is well with you?"

The Venus Adept nodded and shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't really see a reason to butt in." He glanced in Tyrell's general direction, mentally chiding him, but otherwise didn't explain what he meant by the comment.

"Yeah, okay," Karis said sarcastically. "Any other time you'd be talking my ear off and just grinning with excitement." With this, she forgot anything and everything she was going to ask Amiti, caught up in the childish shenanigans.

Tyrell nodded in agreement. "She's right, Matt! Why don't you talk when we're all in a group like this anymore? You didn't have a problem when us kids were traveling together."

His friend just shrugged once more, though. "I don't see why it matters..."

"Forgive me. I meant nothing by it," Amiti told him quickly with a smile, remembering how heated the childhood friends' debates could get. "As long as everything is okay, I'm glad."

Several moments passed as the king resumed leading them through the palace, stopping every now and then to reveal the history of the renovations. There was no need for the Tree Flute anymore; instead Ayuthay had implemented hand-print technology on the important rooms, which only responded to the prints of a royal family member.

Kraden, Isaac, Ivan and his daughter all seemed interested in how it worked but Amiti dissolved their hopes when he told them he didn't know. He hadn't been around when the panels were installed - it was all the doing of the architects, he apologetically mentioned.

Karis just smiled at him, not really sure what to think of him. She couldn't believe this was the same Amiti that she met nearly two years ago: the shirtless, somewhat pudgy, prince who seemed uncertain of himself and his surroundings. That awkward kid who wouldn't stop talking about his descent was now a refined, proper king? Sure, there were obviously some things she recognized about him right away that hadn't changed, but for the most part he seemed like a new person, with new speech patterns and everything. She supposed that was what came with being royalty and a year gap.

"Oh, wait," Jenna suddenly piped in, realizing something. "You were talking about a Lillian girl, right? And then everybody cut you off," she said with a laugh, remembering when that would happen to her and her friends back in the day.

Karis silently thanked her for getting them back on track, now remembering her own questions for the king.

"Hmm?" Amiti questioned. "I don't believe I know what you're talking about."

"I think you said something like... oh! You were about to tell us what she was doing here if you're already crowned," Jenna elaborated.

Amiti seemed thoughtful for a moment or two, debating whether or not to tell everyone now. After being interrupted so many times, he started thinking maybe it was a sign he shouldn't tell them; maybe they wouldn't accept him into their group if they knew why he wanted to leave. He decided right now was his only chance to get out, in any case, so he took a deep breath and started.

"The Ayuthay court has taken interest in Lillian, and not only because of her relations to Paithos - or me at the moment. She is a strong-willed person with a kind heart and solid thoughts, and she would surely make a great ruler should the need arise for one."

He sighed, almost not believing his next choice of words himself. "We are to marry soon, and within a few years we will produce an heir to succeed me."

"Whoa!" Tyrell spoke up, though others made similar remarks. "Isn't that a little soon? I mean, you didn't exactly give a time frame for the wedding, but you said _soon_, and usually soon means in a year or so, right? And besides, you just became king! Shouldn't they wait like twenty years or something before deciding the next?"

Amiti started his reply but the Mars Adept just ignored him, getting even more fired up. "Do you even know this girl? You were talking about her when we first saw you, but..."

The king nodded again, and after they turned another corner, he greeted some palace men. He waited until they were out of earshot until he spoke again - it wasn't as if they weren't allowed to hear what was being said, but if they heard it out of context, rumors may begin to spread, and rumors were very unbecoming of a young, new king.

"I do know her," he said in a somewhat hushed tone, fearful the aforementioned palace men may have been listening. "Other than the fact she's my practical cousin, it occurred to me after the two of us met that I had seen her before in my childhood. I only wish I understood why I had forgotten her so easily, let alone why I did not think of her as a worthy future queen.

"Regardless," Amiti kept going, now in his normal tone, "she is my only known cousin, and Ayuthay is famous for keeping blood in its royal family. Though," he said with a laugh, "it is rather uncanny how my father was not of royal descent at all, and yet I am being worshiped. Nobody in the palace knows of my true childhood - they instead believe the story that I once believed, that I was conceived of my mother's power alone."

"But we know!" Tyrell chided yet again.

The king smiled, though it seemed forced. "Yes, and I would very greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't tell a soul."

The younger male seemed to back away a little bit at that, taking it as a threat despite nothing harmful being mentioned. Karis couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Tyrell, who was above average stature, cowering in fear of Amiti, only three-quarters of his size.

Ivan and Garet took his answer in stride, understanding that it was probably a sensitive topic considering he outright said the entire city thought his birth was the act of one woman and her power. When Jenna heard that, though, she resisted the urge to scoff; if she had been able to give birth to Matthew by just waving a magic wand in the air, she wouldn't have thought twice.

Isaac seemed intrigued, though. "Would you mind letting us in on this so-called 'secret', as well, Your Highness?"

Amiti turned around almost instantly, not used to being called such a name by anybody other than his servicemen. "Ah, please just call me Amiti." Truthfully, he was startled by such a deep voice calling his royal name.

"See, Dad?" Tyrell mused to his father quietly. "I don't have to call him King."

Garet sighed and listened for the rest of Amiti's answer.

"In regards to your inquiry..." the Mercury Adept trailed, sensing more servicemen just around the next corner, "I will converse much more about it at a later time tonight. I regret I have overstayed my time outside my chambers; there is still so much work I need to do yet."

After they passed two more servicemen, Amiti stopped in the middle of one of the hallways. "It would be best for me to retire to my room now. Surely, you all can stay a while and see the rest of the renovations? And your children could show you everything that has changed."

There were a few stray nods among the group, and Amiti smiled.

"I invite you all to join me and Lillian for dinner tonight, then. It is normally right around sundown, so if you wait outside the room right here one of my servicemen will accompany you. We have very nice banquets," he added, eyeing Tyrell as he knew the Mars Adept was a food connoisseur.

"You don't have to convince us, right, Dad?" Tyrell grinned up at Garet who matched his expression.

The king nodded and bowed. "Then I will meet you all later. Thanks for your patience, and I apologize I wasn't able to tell you anything of importance just yet."

They watched as the king palmed his hand onto a panel and disappeared behind one of the doors in front of them, presumably heading to his aforementioned chambers.

Now that everything was quiet for once, the Adepts could very clearly hear a sound like snoring coming from right behind them. They turned around at the same time, wondering just what it could be.

"Kraden?" asked Ivan incredulously, staring at the old scholar.

Sure enough, he was out like a light, leaning against both the stone wall and down on his cane for support. His eyes were shut tightly but his mouth hung wide open, all sorts of snoring noises coming out of it.

"I was wondering why he wasn't talking..." Garet mused, though he laughed.

The others joined in on the fun, taking advantage of the moment; it certainly wasn't every day that they saw the babbler of the group not living up to his role.

"It's been a very long day already," began Isaac, "so he's probably worn out. Vortexes don't only harm us Adepts, it seems." He adjusted the pack on his shoulders. "In any case, though, we might want to think about visiting the inn here and letting him rest, maybe getting some rooms for ourselves as well. I'm assuming five is enough," he added, glancing between Karis and Matthew knowingly.

Karis laughed nervously. "It's nothing like that at all, I promise - really."

"Yes, _really,_Isaac," Ivan said in a somewhat-threatening tone. _If your son touches my daughter..._

Isaac didn't have the gift of telepathy so the Jupiter Adept's thoughts were unheard - but certainly not unnoticed. "Well, all right, then..."

"Maybe Amiti has extra rooms he's not using?" Jenna offered optimistically. "That way we could save even more money!"

"Haha, he isn't worried about saving money at this rate, right, Isaac?"

"Garet, please don't start making innuendo," Ivan warned him. "Even though it's not the same as Karis and Matthew's situation, I still don't want to think about it."

"Innuendo? You're such a prude!"

"Ivan, I hardly think what Isaac and I do is any of your business."

"Wait, when did Matthew and I have a _situation?_"

"Hey, now, guys..."

A louder-than-normal yawn startled everyone out of the conversation, and unlike before, this time they knew it was Kraden.

"Oh, goodness, I fell asleep?"

Isaac chuckled, momentarily forgetting the shared frustration throughout the group. "Yeah. Are you all right?"

Kraden stretched a bit and yawned again. "I just feel tired."

"Why didn't you tell us that when we got here? Or better yet, when we were on the way?" Ivan asked.

"Well, if I had mentioned feeling a bit out of it, everybody would've stopped," Kraden began.

"And nothing would've gotten done!"

"Yes." He couldn't believe he was agreeing with the Tyrell who wasn't his pigeon, but he nodded nevertheless.

Karis rubbed at her arm, wondering desperately if there was something else he wasn't telling them. "Isaac was just talking about finding the inn. Do you want to rest for a while, Kraden?"

He smiled down at her. "I think I would like that, yes."

"Good," Karis continued. "Now we'll have time for you to tell us what you're thinking about everything."

"Ah... We should wait - "

"No! No more waiting!" she cut Kraden off. "I'm tired of everybody here keeping secrets from everybody. Just because we aren't as old as you guys doesn't mean you can only talk to each other about stuff. It concerns us all, and we all deserve to know about it."

Tyrell stuck his hands to his hips. "She's right, y'know. Even though I might not understand a lot of this crap, that doesn't mean I don't wanna learn about it. I mean, I didn't really know that the Vortex is sucking up our Djinn, so if I had them equipped still I could've ended up like Karis and Matt yesterday, and maybe even dead."

"We didn't die, Tyrell."

"You could've!"

Karis sighed and palmed her face, then looked back over to Kraden. "Is there any way you can find it in your heart to explain what you know to us?" she asked sarcastically, arms crossed. She met eyes with Matthew by chance, though, and his expression pleaded with her to calm down; she gave up and decided to follow along.

Kraden chuckled lightly. "You're eager as ever, Karis. I'm glad to see you feeling like your usual self again."

She took into account the way he said it - had she really been acting differently lately? - but quickly let it go after he continued.

"How about we travel to the inn and along the way look at all the renovations that have happened? It's been quite some time since I was here, anyway."

"When we get there will you start telling us what you think and know?"

He smiled. "We will see."

Karis huffed in annoyance, not understanding why he was being so difficult. "Fine, let's just go."

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not the leader of this pack," Isaac said jokingly when she started to walk away, probably expecting the others to follow her. He was trying to lighten the mood at least a little but after she turned around and gave him a truly frightening glare he stayed quiet and gulped, recognizing that look as one of Jenna's old specialties.

"Are all women like that?" he asked no one in particular.

Ivan sighed, shrugging. "She takes after her mother with that temper."

...

Kraden was still pretty tight-lipped throughout their trek in the city, and even when they stopped at the inn he didn't provide much conversation of his own. He offered some trivia about the paintings on the walls, some being portraits of old leaders and writers and the like, but otherwise hadn't given any of the Adepts insight into the matter at hand.

Isaac and Ivan didn't seem to mind too much (or if they did, they didn't show it), probably already knowing the majority of the happenings and the reasons behind them, but the same definitely couldn't be said for Karis.

The green-haired girl was practically fuming once they all met up for dinner, and even Amiti had to admit he was a bit frightened of her.

Servants - waiters and cooks alike - began setting out the food, and everybody who wasn't upset or royalty gaped at the variety. There were easily meats of every kind there, though they couldn't tell them apart, and local vegetables littered the plates around them, along with little rolls with the butter already baked into them.

After all the formalities were over with and the servants left, all who remained were the Adepts, Kraden, and Amiti. The group had only just arrived so they weren't sure of what was planned or anything. Everybody awkwardly began eating quietly.

"Didn't you say Lillian would be here?" Tyrell asked the silence. "I don't wanna wait or anything, but are we supposed to wait for her until we can start eating?" If he was truly concerned about it, though, he sure did a good job of hiding it, taking rabid bites out of his roll like it would be his last meal.

Amiti smiled. "She said she would be running a tad bit late, so until then we just have to wait for her." He noticed he didn't really answer Tyrell's question, though. "Oh! In no way does that mean you have to abstain from eating, so don't worry."

Karis frowned. "Great, so now we have to wait even longer before someone explains stuff."

He furrowed his eyebrows, concerned. "Karis, is there something wrong? You've hardly touched your food and you keep sighing."

She set down her fork and put her hands on her head, rubbing her temples. "I'm fine, really, it's just everybody's keeping all these secrets and I don't have Mind Read so I can't figure out what they're not telling me."

"You don't want it," Ivan told her sternly, but underneath his tone was a hint of compassion.

Amiti decided to back off once her father got involved, not wanting to step on any toes.

"You keep thinking that but you don't know how I feel," Karis retorted. She knew she was being unfair to everyone but she also thought they all had a right to know what was going on; that was the whole reason they set out in the first place, to meet up with Kraden and find out why the Mourning Moon had appeared again and now to learn why Amiti had requested their presences.

Ivan raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I _do _know how you feel, exactly how you feel, but you have to respect other people too. When you read minds, you're breaching their privacy and entering territory that really should be left untouched."

Garet bumped Isaac's shoulder. "Remember when we first met him and he had no idea how annoying he was being?" he whispered.

Isaac chuckled but otherwise ignored him, focused on the Jupiter Adepts' conversation.

"And I know you're concerned about Kraden keeping to himself, but think of our whereabouts. On our way here, we were on roads and trails and in open fields, where fiends could easily get to us or, even worse, the Moon could have caught up with us."

Ivan took notice of her generally uninterred expression, but he continued anyway, knowing he would probably break through her somehow.

"Would you have really liked to stand around in the hallways of the palace and listen to Kraden's explanation, fearful that uninvolved people would be worried? This kind of matter isn't for just anybody's ears, Karis.

"And besides that," Ivan kept going, only mildly aware of all the others' attention, "Kraden most likely wanted to include Amiti with this. Right?" He turned his attention to the scholar.

Kraden nodded and smiled. "Yes. I'm sorry if I worried you, Karis," he told her. "In my old age I suppose I find it just a bit satisfying to tease you younger Adepts."

Nobody else said anything for a while so Karis sighed, now overridden with guilt.

"…Sorry," she admitted. "I guess I still get worked up too easily. But, you know, now that we're here and Amiti's with us and everything, why haven't you said anything, Kraden?"

He responded almost immediately. "I was waiting for Li – "

"Sooorrry I'm late!"

The door slammed open and everyone turned towards the source of the noise, a young woman with brown, waist-long hair and hazel eyes, seemingly quite tall. Judging by her voice and Amiti's groan and palm to the face, nobody was unconvinced that this was Lillian.

She hurried over and took the seat next to Amiti, wasting no time stuffing her face with the assortment of food on the table.

"I would've come earlier but there was some stupid stuff that your friend James wanted me to do."

Amiti sighed. "James isn't my friend, he is my servant and advisor."

"Oh, so is Johnathon your friend, then? I know one of them is," Lillian continued, completely unperturbed by his tone. "Anyway, he told me that since you were having a formal dinner with some people – hello, by the way – that he couldn't bother you with it. So I had to take care of it, and that's why I'm late."

"…Yeah, I understood that from your first sentence," Amiti said, his patience tested.

The others around the table didn't quite know what to make of this girl, whether or not they should introduce themselves. From Amiti's behavior they figured she was a bit too eccentric for his tastes.

In any case, Isaac decided to take the plunge first, seeing as nobody else was going to.

"So, uh, Lillian - "

"Oh, just call me Lily!" she interrupted enthusiastically. "Mitty here seems to think everyone involved with royalty's gotta be super stuffy, but that's boring."

"Hey, I kinda like this girl," Tyrell mused with a grin.

"…Mitty?" Karis asked softly, glancing at Amiti. His cheeks flushed and he covered his face with his hands in frustration.

"Please don't listen to anything she says," he replied just as softly, to which she laughed.

Isaac cleared his throat, calming everybody down. "Anyway… Lily," he said hesitantly, "what do you do around here? You mentioned being royalty."

She smiled. "Well, I'm not _really _royalty right now, but soon I will be! Mitty's moving out soon, or so he says, and I'll be taking over for him! Temporarily, of course," she added after seeing some jaws drop.

"You're leaving?" Karis asked Amiti, and everybody else was interested as well.

He cleared his throat, still getting used to the attention. "I believe I forgot to mention that in my letter. You see – "

"He wants to ditch Ayuthay and go on another adventure," Lillian finished, thinking he wasn't going to. She took a bite and fully swallowed before continuing – and surprisingly nobody interrupted her. "He thinks that if he goes out into the world and has all these crazy-amazing experiences that he'll be a better king when he gets back, or something like that, anyway."

"And you don't have a problem with being the temporary ruler?" asked Isaac, still pretty unsure what to think of her.

Lillian shook her head, swallowing some more food. "No, not really. The thought of being a queen always kind of enticed me, y'know?"

Beside her, Amiti scoffed. "Is that why you ran away and left Paithos by himself?"

"Hey, hey, hey, Mr. Sour Mood!" she shot back. "The only reason I left is because people told me they found my real parents – which turned out to be completely false," she turned her head to say, just in case the others were interested somehow. "You were only like five at the time though, so I guess I can't expect you to remember."

"I was seven," Amiti replied bitterly, but then he sighed, knowing she was only trying to make him annoyed and upset. "Returning to the topic at hand… I apologize for not disclosing anything about this in my letter, but for the most part, Lillian – "

"Lily!"

" – is right. I would love to explore the world even more, and no matter how much this girl gets on my nerves, having her here provides me the opportunity I need to do just that." He avoided saying her name lest she butt in again.

"There are obviously some other things I am not at liberty to say right now, but I would be honored if you all would accept me into your group," he continued, even bowing his head a bit to show his gratitude.

"Well, I dunno… we only have so many tents," Garet said teasingly, grunting in pain when Jenna elbowed him in the rib.

"What do you mean you're not at liberty to say those things?" she asked curiously, knowing the others would have liked to know as well.

"…I mean there are some people in this room who are uninvolved with these matters, and they shouldn't be included," Amiti replied softly, almost quoting Ivan's earlier words to Karis.

Lillian slapped his shoulder. "Way to cut me out of the picture! Jeez!"

"If I may have a word…" Kraden suddenly said, attracting attention from everyone. "Why don't we include Miss Lillian? After all, she has a right to know why you're leaving her in charge."

"Are you in on this stupid secret keeping thing too now, Amiti?" Karis asked coldly.

Matthew, sitting right beside her, scolded her, but it seemed nobody else had paid her any mind.

Amiti looked between Kraden and Lillian hesitantly. "Are you sure, Kraden? It is a very sensitive topic – "

"I'm fed up with all this secrecy!" Karis shouted. "Somebody better start explaining stuff now or I'm going back!"

There was a round of silence and for a while Karis thought she would be scolded again but honestly she didn't care at the moment. Isaac, her father, and Kraden had all been keeping secrets, and normally she would tolerate Kraden, but even _Amiti _was now? What did he have to say that was so important, and what did everybody else know that she didn't?

"Going back where?" Tyrell asked, not one for silence.

She groaned, palming her forehead. "It doesn't matter where – I was just bluffing, anyway. But it seems like I'm the only person here who gives even a sliver of a care about what's going on. There's a gigantic looming threat just hours from where we stand right now and all anybody can do is keep quiet about what it's doing here. Sure, you can tell me it's to protect the townspeople or whatever, but it still doesn't make any sense."

Karis slid her chair back and began standing up, ignoring her father's protests to keep her rooted there. "What's the quickest way to get outside from here? If I can just get some fresh air I should be fine." She ignored the thought that she would only see the disappointing colors outside associated with blood and war.

Amiti bit his lip, feeling guilty all of a sudden. "Wait, Karis. It is about the Mourning Moon."

She hesitatingly turned around, wondering just how and why he knew about the phenomenon. "Have you been talking to Kraden?" she asked incredulously, debating whether or not to sit back down.

He nodded. "We have exchanged a few letters, but I have done a large amount of research on my own, consulting him only when I had questions regarding this catastrophe. If you would take your seat we could talk more."

The king was all too aware of Lillian's piercing stare, but it didn't bother him nearly as much as it should have. He supposed she would understand everything within an hour, just like the rest of them.

Karis did as he requested and returned to her seat next to Matthew, who gave her a disapproving look. She ignored it and instead focused her attention on Amiti. "So… what's going on?" she asked to everyone, mainly the ones she was angry with for keeping their silence.

"I apologize for staying quiet about it," Amiti started, "but with Lillian joining us for dinner tonight, I wasn't sure we would be allotted the atmosphere and time necessary to discuss this. However, Kraden makes a valid point – it would be beneficial to everyone here, especially Lillian, to know why I'm planning to leave on such short notice."

"Yes, it would be beneficial!" Lillian hissed, but he ignored it.

"After my journey with all of you ended, I found myself wanting to know more and more about everything that had happened. Before my uncle passed away I asked him to lend me some of his books regarding the history and lore of Weyard, but unfortunately there haven't been too many published books that cover the Psynergy Vortexes."

"So he started writing to me," Kraden continued helpfully. "He asked me if I had any knowledge of them – which was really almost an insult – and I passed along what I knew. Since then, however, I have learned much more, thanks to Isaac and Ivan."

Both Adepts of interest nodded, and Kraden went on.

"In any case, I believe it is time to put this all out in the open. Wouldn't you both agree?"

"I have no problem with that," Isaac said.

At the same time, Ivan replied with, "As long as people will listen."

Karis rolled her eyes at the two, about as loyal to Kraden as dogs. So they weren't allowed to say anything unless _Kraden _told them it was all right? "How stupid," she muttered, though she was grateful nobody heard her.

"Well, for starters, everyone knows the basic threats of the Moon, correct?" Kraden asked, eyeing each person at the table. "Except for Miss Lillian, of course," he added when he met her eyes.

"Will nobody call me by my nickname?" she pleaded.

"It's got something to do with the Djinn, right? Like it'll suck them up and make us feel weaker?" offered Tyrell.

Kraden nodded, though he sadly smiled at Tyrell's general disinterest. "That's part of it. To further elaborate, if an Adept has Djinn equipped, the Vortex forcibly drains them, sapping their energy from that Adept's body. Djinn are extraordinary creatures with immense powers, helping to strengthen warriors, so naturally when they leave, Adepts will feel weakened."

"Almost like they're dying?" Karis asked, remembering both her and Matthew's episode from the previous day.

He nodded again. "If one is unused to the feeling, then yes."

"So it's just like what I said before," Ivan cut in. "Only Karis and Matthew toppled over because they aren't as accustomed to having Djinn or summoning them as we are. I and the others have – "

"Nearly forty years of experience under our belts," said Garet mockingly, "yada, yada, yada. Don't call us old again, Ivan."

The Jupiter Adept's face twisted a bit in amusement, and after a moment he continued. "But I'm fairly certain all of our Djinn have left us as well. Can anyone confirm or deny this?"

There was some light chatter among the table, and a very confused Lillian, but Amiti spoke up first.

"What is this loss of Djinn you're talking about?" he asked. "The Mourning Moon absorbs Djinn just as easily as it does Psynergy?"

"Yeah," Karis responded right away. "I think Matthew and I lost ours all at once and at the same time so that's why we were affected so much."

Amiti took that in stride, nodding slowly. "And… judging on your inquiry just moments ago, it felt like you were dying?"

Karis looked at Matthew and shared a look, and then she nodded back at Amiti. "It… it kinda felt like all my organs were just being shrunken and chopped up or something. Everything was just on fire, and it wouldn't stop for a few minutes."

"Like heartburn?" Tyrell asked, wanting to understand.

Matthew stifled a laugh that didn't go unnoticed, but nobody responded to the Mars Adept.

"Ah, Tyrell," Kraden said, disrupting the young Adepts' short conversation. "You've also lost your Djinn but because they were on standby for so long, it must feel no different from usual, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I guess I do feel a little weaker, like I can't carry fifty pounds of firewood anymore – sorry, Dad. But other than that, no, there's nothing weird about it."

"That makes sense," Kraden continued. "I didn't get the chance to think much about it yesterday because of my injuries, but after resting I feel I understand this better. When Djinn are on standby, they are not clinging onto the soul as tightly as they do when they're properly equipped. For lack of better terms, they merely stay inside the body, listening for that moment their wielder needs them, in which case they can act quickly – which are what we know as summons."

Isaac caught on. "So Tyrell's Djinn could very easily have floated away without him even knowing."

Kraden nodded sadly. "That seems to be what happened – Tyrell's friends have waved him goodbye. The rest of you will have similar experiences, if they haven't happened already, and soon you will feel weaker and weaker. The feeling should go away after some time, though you will never recover your full strength without the help of the Djinn."

The old Venus Adept clenched his fist, thinking all the way back to when he'd met Flint, his first Djinni. His interest was piqued by the tiny creature who called to him just outside of Vale, and Flint had provided him amazing information throughout the years. Even though it was said that Djinn were attached to the soul, sometimes he swore he could hear Flint speaking to him through his mind.

Did this mean he would never get to see Flint again?

And perhaps that was why a great warrior like himself was weakened just by coming here – the bond with his Djinn had proven to sap his energy once they were taken. After all, he spent all of his time researching and exploring Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum, which had numerous Psynergy Vortexes of their own (though he'd never tell Jenna that), so that meant there was no way he'd have felt weakened just because of the Mourning Moon.

"Does Mitty have Djinn too?" Lillian asked, not especially to Amiti.

The man in question nodded, a little surprised that Lillian wasn't being too annoying at the moment. "I believe all of my Djinn are still with me, though," he said, a curious expression plastered across his face. "Do you think it's simply because I've resided underground for so long?"

Kraden looked thoughtful while he tried to provide an answer. "To my knowledge, Vortexes can only drain what's close to them. The closer one gets to a Vortex, let alone the Mourning Moon, the more Djinn it is able to drain. Have you been in contact with any Vortexes?"

Amiti shook his head. "I hadn't even known of their existence until my journey, so unless you count nearly two years ago… then no. How close is the Moon to our location right now?"

"It was actually right above Kraden's cottage," Karis told him. "We saw glimpses of it when we met up with him, but he said even within the few days it took us to get there that it moved. It's already been almost two days since then, so maybe it moved again."

"It moves rather quickly, then," he commented, and a few moments of silence passed. "I don't believe I've ever seen the Moon before, which makes this all so much more perplexing for me. I had read and even written back and forth with Kraden about it, yes, but to think it was actually this dangerous…"

Kraden's expression became grimmer as he voiced his reply. "Sadly, that's not all there is to it."

All eyes fixated on him but the scholar turned his to Isaac. "You have been doing research since the first Moon showed up, haven't you?"

Isaac nodded, not missing a beat. "Yes. I guess I better explain for everyone." He leaned back a bit and cracked his knuckles, eliciting a groan from Karis, much like what had happened with her and Matthew the night before.

"The first Mourning Moon appeared ten years after the Golden Sun, the second another decade after that, but the third one had escaped us until now. The first one caused a lot of destruction and fear and all of Weyard was rebuilding up until the second one came, but it surprised us all when it didn't do anything but swirl around in the sky and cause a panic.

"So…" he continued, "because the second Moon never fully got off the ground, so to speak, Kraden, Ivan, and I have all had reason to believe this third one is filled with both its own potential and that of the second. Any questions?"

"I can't believe you never told me any of this, Isaac," Jenna said sharply. "Did you think I couldn't handle it or something?"

Isaac chuckled nervously. "Ah… nothing like that, Jenna…"

"It's stupid to be so secretive all the time," Karis muttered, but she let it die down because at least they finally were revealing everything.

Amiti cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Isaac." He waited until Isaac met his eyes. "You said that you believe the third Mourning Moon will be the worst, right?"

He nodded. "More or less, yes."

Amiti sighed, a dark expression on his face. "Do you think being underground, a little out of the way, would make any difference?"

"Aww! Mitty, you wanna be sure everyone here stays safe, don't you?"

He squeezed the bridge of his nose, trying to ignore Lillian's ecstatic rambling. "Isaac?" he tried again.

Isaac smiled sadly. "I don't really know if that'll change anything, but there's always hope."

"Thank you."

"Dooon't worry! I'll take good care of everybody when you're gone!" Lillian told him happily. "You can count on me!"

Amiti sighed but smiled nonetheless. "Surprisingly, that is comforting." He turned his attention back to Kraden. "Wasn't there another thing you were going to say about the Vortex, Kraden?"

"Ah, yes," he replied, catching his old train of thought. "It's a little unbelievable, actually, but the authors of my several books on the subject swear on their graves that everything they write is true. It seems the Mourning Moon is traversable."

"Do you mean that we can actually travel _through _it?" Ivan asked, eyes widened.

Garet scoffed across from him, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Jeez, Ivan, even _I _know what traversable means."

Jenna looked over at him, giggling a bit, and Ivan glared for a moment, but the others ignored him.

Beside Garet, Tyrell picked his brain, wondering how his father knew what it meant when he didn't, but he figured it would be explained anyway so he didn't ask.

"Precisely," Kraden confirmed for Ivan, grinning from ear to ear now that he was finally able to talk about his findings. "According to all my research, the purple-ish dot in the center of a Vortex is, despite how strange this is, a portal to - "

"Another world?" Ivan asked again, incredulously. He could only imagine how amazing that would be. Maybe there was another life form on the other side of the portal, or another race - surely there could be another with scales like the Proxians, or maybe more beastmen like in Morgal.

Kraden shook his head. "Not entirely. Out of all the authors whose works I've read, the consensus is that there is what they call a 'Reverse Weyard' on the other side of the portal."

At this Karis perked up, even more interested. A Reverse Weyard? Did that mean there was a "reverse" counterpart to everybody on Weyard here? If they traveled through the Vortex would she able to meet "reverse" her? What would she be like? Hopefully she'd be less annoying and whiny, and maybe more focused on what was actually important.

But then she realized something. Ivan seemed to be a little too know-it-all of everything involving Kraden, but he was just as impressed with this information as she was. Did that mean there was still something that he was keeping from her? She supposed she could ask him later.

"A good three or four of these authors describing what the other world is like claim that they have actually been there," Kraden continued. "Now, I have no idea if that is true or not - especially considering these Vortexes have only been around for little over thirty years - but we have no reason to doubt them in times like these. And even if we did wish to meet them to confirm these theories, sadly the place they all resided, Lonover, the city of authors, was demolished during the Eclipse."

"…So there's no way of getting ahold of them and asking them questions," Isaac concluded grimly. "So the only way to figure out if something's going on is to check it out ourselves?"

Kraden nodded sadly. "Yes, that is unfortunately true. But there is still more I have not yet told you. These authors have also reached a consensus that the Reverse world is actually the real world, and this Weyard is decaying ever-so-slowly. We have no reason to believe this either, but what do you make of the Elemental Lighthouses all those years ago? None of the authors had mentioned anything of the Lighthouses being in the other world - so was the building of the Lighthouses the ancients' attempt to tell the people of this world that it was dying and to return to the other world? There are a plethora of questions that anybody could ask, but we have no way of answering them unless we try discovering them for ourselves."

The old man stopped to breathe as he had literally been spewing out this information, and only then did he realize he still had some food left on his plate. He quickly stabbed at it with his fork and devoured it; he'd earned a bite or two, right?

"So do you still wanna come with us, Amiti?" Tyrell asked jokingly. If he was closer to Amiti he would have elbowed him in the side, but sadly Lillian was in the way, as was the corner of the table.

Amiti smiled, though there was some doubt in it. "I am prepared for any and all sorts of danger. If I am going to be selfish, I have to make sure I can come back here to Ayuthay in one piece so I can be selfless in the end."

Tyrell scoffed. "Man, you've gotten so mature since we last saw you. Isn't anyone on my level anymore?"

"No, Tyrell," snapped Karis, "so you might want to think about growing up, too."

To prove just how mature he was he stuck his tongue out at her and crossed his arms, ignoring anything else she would say.

"Is there anything else that needs explaining?" Ivan asked, and Karis took notice of his hesitant tone.

"Uh, yeah," Lillian said hastily. "What the heck is all this you guys are talking about? I thought Mitty was just a normal person like me. What's going on?"

"Ha! That was my reaction when people told me I was an Adept."

"Tyrell, quit it," Karis chided, and the conversation continued.

"Lillian, I am – "

"Lily!"

Amiti rubbed his temples once more. He straightened himself in the chair and calmed himself. "I don't think I am who you think I am. I don't know what Paithos told you when you were young but I was not conceived of my mother's power. I was – "

"Well, duh! You gotta have sex in order to have a baby!"

Tyrell burst out laughing at Lillian's choice of words and the way she said them, but the rest of the table, especially Karis and Matthew, looked severely disturbed, some with blushes on their faces.

"Jeez, Mitty," Lillian continued, "sometimes you're just so dense."

"You're… a very open girl, Lillian," Karis commented.

Lillian smiled. "Of course! Someone's gotta speak their mind around here, otherwise nothing would get done."

"I think I'm in love…" trailed Tyrell, gazing googly-eyed at the girl.

Garet bonked him on the head, though, quieting him with, "You don't even know what love is."

"Please stop interrupting me," Amiti said to Lillian, who seemed unaffected. He inhaled a deep breath, unsure whether or not he should have rethought his decision. "As I was saying, I – obviously, apparently – have both a mother and a father. My mother, Veriti, was a non-Adept, whereas my father was… _is _a very powerful Adept. He is aligned with Mercury, the water element, as am I."

"So wait," Lillian started, confused, "Adepts are people with like superhuman powers or something then? And elements? What?"

He sighed, not understanding how anybody could be so oblivious and ignorant to the world. "Adepts control the elements, and which one they control depends on which one they are aligned with." He glanced around the room momentarily and smiled. "Thankfully there's one person for each element in this room. Like I said, I am a Mercury Adept, and I have the ability to control water and ice."

"I'm Karis, and I'm a Jupiter Adept," Karis said, introducing herself a bit, "so I can control things that happen in the air, including air itself. I can also deal with things like plasma and lightning."

Lillian sat in wonder and amusement, just staring at Karis. "That's so cool!"

Karis laughed a little, looking around to see if anybody else would step up to the plate. After a moment she watched as Jenna shifted in her chair.

"My name's Jenna, and even though I'm just a bit older than you guys, I'm arguably the best Mars Adept you'll ever encounter." She ignored Tyrell and Garet's protests, laughing. "I control fire and lava, but magma is a pretty iffy subject."

"Pfft, can't even control magma…" Garet trailed, arms crossed in mock annoyance.

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try, Garet!" Jenna spat back, equally annoyed.

Lillian giggled at the two. "I see. Because you guys control fire you're also really fiery!"

Jenna's cheeks grew red but she nodded and smiled anyway, knowing that no matter how hard she tried that would always be the case.

"Well…" Ivan began, "sometimes a personality trait that you'd think would belong to one group can leak over to another." He glanced at his daughter for a brief second, chuckling nervously when she demonstrated her own fiery personality.

"Anyway," Karis said, eager to keep the discussion on topic, "the guy beside me here is Matthew. He doesn't talk much, but he and his dad Isaac, the guy talking about the Mourning Moons, are Venus Adepts. They control the weyard and grass underneath our feet, and they might be able to work with magma, but I'm not sure." She looked at Matthew for clarification and he nodded.

"This is really super interesting," Lillian said, turning her head to look at Amiti. "Mitty, why haven't you ever told me this before?"

He sighed. "You have only lived here a little over a month, and I thought this was all common knowledge by now."

"Well it's not, 'cuz I didn't know!"

"Please, can we take her with us?" pleaded Tyrell. He looked at both his father and Amiti with begging eyes.

Garet ignored him but Amiti slapped his forehead; no doubt was a mark beginning to show up.

"It's either her or me," Amiti told him warily, giving him a look to match.

Tyrell pretended to think about it, even putting a finger on his chin. "Hmm… well in that case, I guess we have to take you because you're starting to talk like your old self again. We could always use another me in this quest!"

"No…" Isaac began, sharing a look with Garet that told him he was his son, "but we could use a Mercury Adept. You'll prove really useful, especially if you know healing tricks, since Mercury is the purest element."

"Aww, widdle Mitty's pure," teased Lillian, pinching Amiti's cheek.

He grimaced and smacked her hand away, getting up from his chair. "I apologize for my cousin's behavior tonight, everyone," he said, bowing his head lowly to emphasize his point. "If you are not quite yet finished with your meal you may continue as you wish, but I'm going to retire to my chambers now. I have to prepare for the journey, I presume. Are we leaving in the morning?"

Isaac nodded from the other side of the table, unaffected by the young king's apology and mannerisms, setting him apart from the others. It wasn't like he was new to meeting royalty.

"I'd like to leave at sunrise, maybe after a quick breakfast."

"Ivan is _not _cooking!" Garet made sure to yell, glaring at the Jupiter Adept who just glared back.

Amiti smiled and nodded. "Thank you for this opportunity. I will try not to disappoint you all." He turned to look at Lillian. "We should leave them alone for the time being. You can join us again in the morning before we depart."

She set her fork down and stood up reluctantly. "We were just getting to the good stuff, too." Much to everyone's surprise, she bowed too. "Looks like I said too much. Sorry for causing such a ruckus," she apologized briefly, but she soon laughed it off anyway.

"It was nice meeting you," Karis offered politely, but before she knew if Lillian even heard her she was gone, trailing behind Amiti as he left through the door.

After a moment of true silence Jenna sighed. "Jeez… she's like an alternate version of Sheba."

…

In the morning, after everybody woke up and had breakfast, the party met Amiti outside the palace gates conversing with his servants.

Karis was about to go and see if he needed help convincing them to let him go but Lillian quickly stepped out and offered her assistance instead. Besides, Isaac and Kraden seemed to be deep in a discussion.

"It seems there is a very vast library here," Kraden said enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up. "Amiti assured me there are enough books to last me at least a year, and that is only the literature which covers my fields of study. There's no telling what other subjects may interest me when I delve into their founding fathers' works."

Isaac smiled sadly at him. "So that's why you want to stay behind here."

"Wait, what?" Karis found herself asking. "This is completely out of nowhere. Kraden, you're not going with us?"

The scholar turned to face her and nodded. "My pride would normally not allow me to say this, but I am growing older with every passing day. Though I absorbed parts of the Sun which gave my mind more freedom, my already-old body did not receive that large a boost, it seems. You did see my injuries when we met, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess, but…"

Kraden chuckled. "Don't worry, Karis. Isaac and your father are far more knowledgeable than you give them credit for. You can rely on them just as you relied on me. They are still my pupils, after all. And Garet and Jenna are as well, so don't think they're out of the question, either."

"Kraden's right, Karis," Isaac said. "Don't forget you're picking up on a lot of things now, too. Should there be anything Ivan and I don't understand, maybe you will."

"…Okay, thanks," she said, a little bit convinced. She turned her attention back to Kraden. "Do you think you might fall again or something?"

"It's possible," he replied sadly. "Even though we will now have a Mercury Adept, a skilled healer, with us once more, it wouldn't be very wise for me to accompany you to the Vortex. If it drained your and Matthew's Djinn so easily like that, just imagine what it could do to a normal human like me!" He laughed despite himself, but Karis only pitied him more.

It would be weird not having Kraden around, she realized. Even when her father and his friends were adventuring, Kraden was with them at all times. Things would definitely be different, and she only hoped Kraden was right about her father and Isaac knowing as much as he said they did.

"So nobody else is surprised by this?" she asked suddenly, wondering why no one else joined their discussion.

Tyrell scoffed. "Kraden already told us all this while you were too busy ogling at Amiti."

Karis snapped her head towards the Mars Adept, her cheeks heating up in the process, and she hissed an insult at him. "It wasn't like that at all, you idiot. I was just wondering if he needed any help convincing his palace men to let him go. I can't imagine it's easy asking something like that."

Ivan nodded thoughtfully, giving his daughter the benefit of the doubt. "Well, in any case, it's almost time for us to leave, so let's go over there and see if we can hurry things along."

The Adepts walked over to where Amiti was, but unfortunately they must have come at the wrong time because he was immersed in an argument of his own.

"Milord, you can't leave yet!" one of the servicemen shouted.

"James, I have a duty to protect my people," Amiti told him sternly. "There is a threat outside these city walls that I cannot ignore. While not all of you can learn of every last detail, I pray you understand enough to know that I must leave immediately."

"But, Milord, what if something were to happen to you?" the other serviceman persisted.

"You may rely on Lillian if such a case exists. She will fill in for me under the role of Queen."

"Milord… But, Milord, Your Highness and Her Highness Lillian have not produced an heir yet!"

That was the final straw, he decided at long last. The young king rested his fingers on his temples for a brief moment, and then glared at his too-loyal servants. "Allow me to leave," he said icily. "This is an order, probably the last you will receive from me for a while."

He glanced between the two, and when they did the same, gulping, his face softened a bit.

"Thank you."

He walked a few steps and turned back. "Farewell, James, Johnathan." The king smiled. "We shall meet again, and if I have any say in it, it will be soon."

The two servant soldiers couldn't do anything – forbidden otherwise – but watch as their king slowly followed after his old friends and then some. They contemplated chasing after him, since technically after he left they were to be under Lillian's command, but quickly decided against it. Their king would need his space away from the kingdom, and although it wasn't recommended for many cities, Johnathan and James believed that Amiti would return a new person, and an even better ruler.

Amiti spotted the party and quickly bowed his head. "My apologies that you had to see that. Anyway, shall we go?"

They all reluctantly started walking until Amiti realized something.

"Isn't Kraden coming with us?" he asked.

"It seems he's taken a liking to reading about adventures more than experiencing them," said Isaac. "It's for the best, though," he quickly added in case anyone was thinking he was being sarcastic.

Amiti thought back to his conversation with him about the library, and soon he understood. "That is a shame. I was rather looking forward to talking with him more."

"It's all right," Karis told him. "My dad and Isaac have been researchers studying under him for a long time. Kraden told me both of their knowledge may even rival his by now."

She was stretching the truth a bit, and she noted the look Ivan gave her for that, but she figured it couldn't hurt being a little optimistic at the moment. It made her feel better, at least, and she hoped it made Amiti feel better.

Once they finally made it outside the city gates, she looked back at Ayuthay, and then at Amiti.

"Are you sure you're fine leaving Lillian in charge?"

He smiled and nodded. "Though she is annoying and painful to deal with, she has her head on straight when dealing with political issues. I have no problem leaving things to her."

Amiti's expression grew darker as his thoughts wandered, though. "I only hope that Ayuthay can continue to flourish even under the Mourning Moon."

* * *

><p><em>~CGA<em>


End file.
